Millions of years ago, the world was much different. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis wandered. Thanks to its really long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so big that it feared no predator.
Actually, Diplodocus is the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. When you’re hearing two sounds simultaneously, that’s a hearing condition known as diplacusis.
Diplacusis is a condition which can be frustrating and confusing resulting in difficulty communicating.
Maybe you’ve been hearing some odd things
Usually, we regard hearing loss as our hearing becoming muted or quiet over time. According to this idea, over time, we simply hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well known, types of hearing loss. Diplacusis is one of the stranger, and also more frustrating, of these hearing problems.
What is diplacusis?
Exactly what is diplacusis? The meaning of the medical term diplacusis is simply “double hearing”. Normally, your brain gets signals from your right ear and signals from the left ear and marries them harmoniously into one sound. That’s what you hear. Your eyes are doing the same thing. If you put a hand on your right eye and then a hand over your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? Your ears are the same, it’s just that typically, you never notice it.
Diplacusis happens when the hearing abilities of your ears differ so wildly that your brain can no longer blend them, at least not well. You can develop diplacusis because of the hearing loss in one ear (called monaural diplacusis) or both ears (binaural diplacusis).
Diplacusis comes in two forms
Diplacusis does not affect everybody in the same way. Normally, though, individuals will experience one of the following two forms of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear are off it’s an indicator of this form of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when somebody speaks with you. Perhaps your right ear hears the sound as low-pitched and your left ear thinks the sound is high-pitched. This can cause those sounds to be difficult to make out.
- Diplacusis echoica: This happens when the pitch is nearly the same from ear to ear, but because of your hearing loss, the timing is out of whack. This may cause echoes (or, instead, artifacts that sound like echoes). This can also cause difficulty when it comes to understanding speech.
Symptoms of diplacusis
The symptoms of diplacusis could include:
- Off timing hearing
- Off pitch hearing
- Phantom echoes
The condition of double vision might be a useful comparison: Yes, it can develop some symptoms on its own, but it’s usually itself a symptom of something else. (It’s the effect, essentially, not the cause.) Diplacusis, in these cases, is most likely a symptom of hearing loss. So your best course of action would be to Schedule an appointment with us for a hearing exam.
What are the causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and perhaps not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis align quite nicely with the causes of hearing loss. But there are a few specific reasons why you could develop diplacusis:
- Earwax: In some instances, an earwax obstruction can interfere with your hearing. That earwax obstruction can cause diplacusis.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even normal allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This swelling, while a standard response, can effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Noise-induced damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced enough loud sounds to damage your hearing, it’s possible that the same damage has brought about hearing loss, and consequently, diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some really rare cases, tumors in your ear canal can lead to diplacusis. But stay calm! They’re usually benign. Still, it’s something you should talk to your hearing specialist about!
It’s clear that there are a number of the same causes of diplacusis and hearing loss. Which means that if you’re experiencing diplacusis, it’s a good bet something is impeding your ability to hear. So you should absolutely come in and talk to us.
Treatments for diplacusis
Depending on the underlying cause, there are several possible treatments. If you have an obstruction, treating your diplacusis will center around clearing it out. However, diplacusis is frequently due to irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. Here are a few treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The right pair of hearing aids can neutralize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will likely disappear. It’s essential to get the proper settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us help you with that.
- Cochlear implant: In cases where the hearing loss at the root of diplacusis is profound, a cochlear implant might be the only way to provide relief from the symptoms.
All of this begins with a hearing assessment. Think about it like this: a hearing exam will be able to establish what type of hearing loss is at the source of your diplacusis (maybe you just think things sound weird at this point and you don’t even identify it as diplacusis). We have really sensitive hearing tests nowadays and any discrepancies with how your ears are hearing the world will be detected.
Life is more fun when you can hear well
Getting the right treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s a hearing aid or something else, means you’ll be more capable of participating in your daily life. It will be easier to carry on conversations. Keeping up with your family will be easier.
Which means, you’ll be able to hear your grandkids tell you all about what a Diplodocus is, and you (hopefully) won’t have any diplacusis to get in the way.
If you think you have diplacusis and want to get it checked, call today for an appointment.