What Is Considered Normal, Age-Related Hearing Loss?

[Path Maker]

Just asking this question because I'm not finding it easily online. For a 53-year old, my test in both ears goes at approximately the 10-20 decibel range until dropping down to 40 decibels at 8000 hertz. Is this normal/can this be considered age-related? Just wondering ... Thanks for any input.

 

[Aaron123]

I've looked for this information before and found it surprisingly hard to find. I found this from OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9741 You could do it between to hearing exams or you could just use tables F-1 and F-2 (I think).

 

[Alue]

I have often wondered if most "age related hearing loss" is just caused by long term exposure to noise. We are bombarded with so much more noise than what our ancestors would have dealt with.

I have really lost all faith with OSHA's hearing standards.

 

[Dave AUS]

I've looked for this information before and found it surprisingly hard to find. I found this from OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9741 You could do it between to hearing exams or you could just use tables F-1 and F-2 (I think).

Thank you for that @Aaron123 but wow did they make some assumptions in those predictions! They just plotted the loss as a linear curve over the subjects life where real result data was only taken at ages 27 and 32..... No explanation for the woman's results being much better also!
Just shows there is no real data world wide as a guide to what is normal! Ironically my audiogram results are only slightly worse than those F-1 numbers for my age but follow the same plotable loss curve across the frequencies.

 

[Bobby B]

Just asking this question because I'm not finding it easily online. For a 53-year old, my test in both ears goes at approximately the 10-20 decibel range until dropping down to 40 decibels at 8000 hertz. Is this normal/can this be considered age-related? Just wondering ... Thanks for any input.

that's pretty good hearing for your age
keep in mind that as you get closer to your T frequency, the results from the audiogram is going to very unstable - you could take a few readings a minute apart and those will all show different numbers and all probably worse than the actual hearing capability ..because in a quiet audiogram test facility the brain will make the T much louder thus masking the sound more than what you would experience in real life

 

[Path Maker]

that's pretty good hearing for your age
keep in mind that as you get closer to your T frequency, the results from the audiogram is going to very unstable - you could take a few readings a minute apart and those will all show different numbers and all probably worse than the actual hearing capability ..because in a quiet audiogram test facility the brain will make the T much louder thus masking the sound more than what you would experience in real life

Thanks, @Bobby B , I had thought something like that! There are certain frequencies I think I CAN hear but they were effectively masked during the test by the tinnitus, and in that quiet booth, the sound of my heartbeat/pulse was also VERY amplified and made it tough to hear ...

 

[Path Maker]

Thank you for the chart, @Aaron123 . I agree - it's really hard to locate anything online!
@Alue I agree with you! The world is essentially crammed with manmade noise that in now way resembles what just living in nature would supply. I know there are loud natural sounds (an animal shrieking, thunder) but these don't play out for the same duration as all the manmade sounds.