Why hearing is important?

Our hearing ensures we can better engage with those around and experience many of the great joys in life: a baby's giggle, waves crashing on the beach, and the emotion of a musical masterpiece.

In order for us to hear, our ears have to have properly working outer, middle, and inner ears, as well as an intact auditory neural pathway to the part of the brain that hears and helps us to attach meaning to sound – the auditory cortex. This complex system often experiences problems that may lead to hearing loss.

Hearing loss is, simply put, a decreased sensitivity to sounds. Speech may sound muffled or difficult to understand, and you may find yourself asking others to speak more clearly or repeat what they are saying. You might find yourself turning up the TV or radio volume or withdrawing from conversations and avoiding social situations.