The world was very 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 simultaneously, that’s a hearing condition known as diplacusis.
Diplacusis is a condition which can be challenging and confusing resulting in difficulty with communication.
Perhaps your hearing has been a bit weird lately
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 sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. One of the most interesting (or, possibly, frustrating) such manifestations is a condition called diplacusis.
Diplacusis, what is it?
So, what is diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical name that means, pretty simply, “double hearing”. Normally, your brain gets information from the right ear and information from the left ear and marries them harmoniously into one sound. That’s what you hear. Your eyes are doing the same thing. You will see slightly different images if you cover each eye one at a time. It’s the same with your ears, it’s just that typically, you don’t notice it.
Diplacusis occurs when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so significantly that your brain can no longer merge them, at least not very well. You can develop diplacusis as a result of hearing loss in one ear (called monaural diplacusis) or both ears (binaural diplacusis).
Two kinds of diplacusis
Different individuals are affected differently by diplacuses. However, there are typically two basic forms of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will sound off because your brain receives the sound from each ear out of sync with the other rather than hearing two separate pitches. This could cause echoes (or, rather, artifacts that sound similar to echoes). And understanding speech can become difficult because of this.
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: This kind of diplacusis occurs when the pitch of the right ear and the pitch of the left ear are hearing sound as two different pitches. So when your grandchildren talk to you, the pitch of their voice will sound distorted. One side may sound high-pitched and the other low-pitched. This can make those sounds hard to understand.
Symptoms of diplacusis
The symptoms of diplacusis could include:
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
- Hearing that sounds off (in timing).
- Hearing that sounds off (in pitch).
That said, it’s useful 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. (It’s the effect, essentially, 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 us.
What causes diplacusis?
The causes of diplacusis line up quite well, in a general sense, with the causes of hearing loss. But there are a few specific reasons why you may develop diplacusis:
- Noise-related damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced hearing loss caused by noise damage, it’s feasible that it could trigger diplacusis.
- Earwax: Your ability to hear can be impacted by an earwax blockage. That earwax blockage can cause diplacusis.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even normal allergies can cause your ear canal to become inflamed. This inflammation, while a standard response, can impact the way sound travels through your inner ear and to your brain.
- A tumor: In some really rare instances, tumors inside your ear canal can cause diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re normally benign. But you should still speak with us about it.
As you can see, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same common causes. Meaning that you most likely have some amount of hearing loss if you have diplacusis. Which means it’s a good idea to visit a hearing specialist.
Treatments for diplacusis
The treatments for diplacusis differ based on the underlying cause. If your condition is related to an obstruction, such as earwax, then treatment will focus on the removal of that blockage. However, diplacusis is often brought on by permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Here are some treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: Your hearing can be neutralized with the correct set of hearing aids. Your diplacusis symptoms will slowly fade when you benefit from hearing aids. It’s essential to get the proper settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us assist you with that.
- Cochlear implant: In cases where the hearing loss at the root of diplacusis is profound, a cochlear implant may be the only way to get relief from the symptoms.
All of this begins with a hearing test. Here’s how you can think about it: whatever type of hearing loss is the cause of your diplacusis, a hearing test will be able to identify that (and, to be fair, you may not even recognize it as diplacusis, you may just think things sound weird these days). Modern hearing tests are quite sensitive, and good at detecting inconsistencies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing well is more fun than not
You’ll be better able to enjoy your life when you get the correct treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s hearing aids or some other treatment. Conversations 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 grandchildren telling you all about the Diplodocus.
If you believe you have diplacusis and want to get it checked, call today for an appointment.