The world was extremely different millions of years ago. The long-necked Diplacusis wandered this volcano-laden landscape. Diplacusis was so large, due to its long tail and neck, that no other predators were a threat.
Actually, the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period is called Diplodocus. When you’re hearing two sounds at the same time, that’s a hearing condition called diplacusis.
Diplacusis is an affliction which can be frustrating and confusing leading to difficulty communicating.
Perhaps your hearing has been a bit weird lately
We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as a kind of progressive decreasing of the volume knob. According to this notion, over time, we just hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well recognized, forms of hearing loss. One of the most fascinating (or, possibly, frustrating) such manifestations is a condition called diplacusis.
What is diplacusis?
Exactly what is diplacusis? The meaning of the medical name diplacusis is simply “double hearing”. Typically, your brain gets signals from your right ear and signals from the left ear and joins them harmoniously into one sound. That’s what you hear. The same thing occurs with your eyes. 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 usually, you don’t notice it.
Diplacusis occurs when the hearing abilities of your ears differ so significantly that your brain can no longer blend them, at least not well. Monaural diplacusis is a result of hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is due to hearing loss in both.
Diplacusis comes in two types
Different people are impacted differently by diplacuses. Normally, though, people will experience one of the following two types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear are off it’s an indication of this type of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when somebody speaks with you. One side may sound high-pitched and the other low-pitched. This can cause those sounds to be difficult to understand.
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will seem off because your brain gets the sound from each ear out of sync with the other rather than hearing two different pitches. Artifacts similar to echoes can be the result. This can also cause difficulty when it comes to understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
Here are some symptoms of diplacusis:
- 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. (In other words, it’s the effect, not the cause.) In these circumstances, diplacusis is nearly always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). Consequently, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably make an appointment with a hearing specialist.
What are the causes diplacusis?
The causes of diplacusis line up very well, in a general sense, with the causes of hearing loss. But you could develop diplacusis for several particular reasons:
- Earwax: In some circumstances, an earwax obstruction can impede your ability to hear. That earwax obstruction can lead to diplacusis.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even normal allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This swelling, while a typical 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 hearing loss due to noise damage, it’s possible that it could trigger diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some extremely rare circumstances, tumors inside your ear canal can lead to diplacusis. But stay calm! In most cases they’re benign. Still, it’s something you should speak with your hearing specialist about!
As you can see, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same typical causes. Which means that if you’re experiencing diplacusis, it’s likely that something is interfering with your ability to hear. Which means you have a good reason to see a hearing specialist.
How is diplacusis treated?
The treatments for diplacusis vary based on the underlying cause. If you have an obstruction, treating your diplacusis will focus on clearing it out. But permanent sensorineural hearing loss is more frequently the cause. In these situations, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: The correct pair of hearing aids can equalize how your ears hear again. Your diplacusis symptoms will slowly fade when you benefit from hearing aids. It’s essential to get the correct settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us help you with that.
- Cochlear implant: A cochlear implant might be the only way of dealing with diplacusis if the root cause is profound hearing loss.
All of this begins with a hearing test. Here’s how you can think about it: a hearing test will be able to identify what kind of hearing loss is at the root of your diplacusis (perhaps you just think things sound weird at this point and you don’t even recognize it as diplacusis). We have really sensitive hearing tests nowadays and any inconsistencies with how your ears are hearing the world will be found.
Hearing clearly is more fun than not
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. Talking with others will be easier. Keeping up with your family will be easier.
So there will be no diplacusis symptoms getting in the way of your ability to hear your grandkids telling you all about the Diplodocus.
Call today for an appointment to get your diplacusis symptoms checked.