The world was extremely different millions of years ago. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis roamed. 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 known as diplacusis.
Diplacusis is an affliction which can be frustrating and confusing leading to difficulty with communication.
Perhaps your hearing has been a little weird lately
Usually, we regard hearing loss as our hearing getting muted or quiet over time. Over time, the idea is, we just hear less and less. But sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. Diplacusis is one of the weirder, and also more frustrating, of these hearing conditions.
What is diplacusis?
So, what is diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical term that means, basically, “double hearing”. Usually, your brain will combine the sound from your right and left ear into a single sound. That’s what you hear. Your eyes are doing the same thing. If you place a hand over your right eye and then a hand on your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? Your ears are the same, it’s just that usually, you never notice it.
Diplacusis occurs when the hearing abilities of your ears differ so wildly that your brain can no longer combine 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.
Two kinds of diplacusis
Different people are impacted differently by diplacuses. Usually, 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 indicator 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. Those sounds can be hard to understand consequently.
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will sound off because your brain gets the sound from each ear out of sync with the other rather than hearing two different pitches. This may cause echoes (or, instead, artifacts that sound similar to echoes). This can also cause challenges with regard to understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
The symptoms of diplacusis could include:
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
- Hearing that seems off (in timing).
- Off pitch hearing
That said, it’s helpful to think of diplacusis as similar to double vision: It’s usually a symptom of something else, but it can produce some of its own symptoms. (In other words, it’s the effect, not the cause.) In these circumstances, diplacusis is almost always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). As a result, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably make an appointment with us.
What are the causes diplacusis?
In a very basic sense (and probably not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis line up rather well with the causes of hearing loss. But there are some specific reasons why you could develop diplacusis:
- An infection: Swelling of your ear canal can be the consequence of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This swelling is a common immune response, but it can impact how sound waves travel into your inner ear (and subsequently your brain).
- Earwax: In some instances, an earwax obstruction can hinder your hearing. That earwax blockage can lead to diplacusis.
- Your ears have damage related to noise: If you’ve experienced enough loud sounds to damage your ears, it’s possible that the same damage has brought about hearing loss, and as a result, diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some extremely rare situations, tumors in your ear canal can result in diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re normally benign. Nevertheless, it’s something you should speak with your hearing specialist about!
It’s obvious that there are many of the same causes of hearing loss and diplacusis. This means that if you’re experiencing diplacusis, it’s a good bet something is impeding your ability to hear. Which means it’s a good idea to visit 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 center around clearing it out. But irreversible sensorineural hearing loss is more often the cause. In these cases, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: The correct pair of hearing aids can neutralize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will likely disappear. You’ll want to speak with us about finding the correct settings for your hearing aids.
- Cochlear implant: A cochlear implant may be the only way of managing diplacusis if the root cause is profound hearing loss.
A hearing test is the first step to getting to the bottom of the problem. Here’s how you can think about it: whatever kind of hearing loss is the cause of your diplacusis, a hearing exam will be able to determine that (perhaps you just think things sound strange at this point and you don’t even identify 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 well is more fun than not
Getting the appropriate 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. It will be easier to communicate with your family.
So there will be no diplacusis symptoms getting in the way of your ability to hear your grandchildren telling you all about the Diplodocus.
Call today for an appointment to have your diplacusis symptoms assessed.