ABSTRACT
Presbyacusis, or age-related hearing loss, is an almost universal feature of ageing. The prevalence is of presbyacusis is high, with up to 70–80% of people older than 75 years affected. Hearing aids are underutilised and in a recent survey, only 22% of Americans over 80 with a known hearing loss wear hearing aids. The hearing loss is often noticed more by the patient’s family or friends than by the individual themselves. A patient will frequently complain of difficulties in understanding conversation in background noise and will often feel that others are not speaking clearly, rather than realising that it is their own hearing acuity that is changing. Management includes educating relatives in the use of clear speech. Where a severe to profound hearing loss is seen at high frequencies, cochlear implants are often more effective. Gene therapy may also have a role in regenerating new cochlear hair cells in due course.
