Most people are diligent about scheduling their annual physical, dental cleaning, and eye exam. But when it comes to hearing, that same level of routine care is often skipped — sometimes for years. As audiologists serving the Denver area, we see this pattern regularly, and we want to help change it.

Hearing loss affects more than 37 million Americans, and one of the reasons it often goes unaddressed is that it typically develops gradually. Unlike a sudden injury or illness, the slow progression of hearing loss can make it difficult to recognize on your own. You may find yourself turning up the TV a little louder, asking people to repeat themselves more often, or avoiding noisy social situations — and assume it's just part of getting older. By the time most people reach out for help, research suggests they've been waiting an average of seven years since first noticing changes in their hearing.

That's a long time to miss out.

What a Hearing Test Actually Involves

A hearing evaluation is straightforward and painless. It typically starts with a short consultation where we learn about your lifestyle, any listening environments where you've been struggling, and your personal or family history with hearing. From there, we perform a brief physical examination of the ear canal, followed by a series of hearing tests.

These tests may include pure tone audiometry — where you respond to tones played at different pitches and volumes — as well as a speech recognition test to assess how clearly you hear and understand spoken words. Your results are recorded on an audiogram, which gives us a clear picture of any hearing loss, including its type, degree, and configuration.

The whole process is quick, and most patients find it far less intimidating than they expected.

Why Annual Testing Matters

A one-time hearing test is helpful, but annual testing gives us something more valuable — a baseline and a way to track changes over time. Hearing loss can shift gradually, and small changes picked up early are much easier to address than significant loss that has gone unnoticed.

Annual testing also matters for your overall health. Research has drawn connections between untreated hearing loss and a range of health concerns, including cognitive decline, increased fall risk, and social isolation. Staying on top of your hearing health is one of the more straightforward things you can do to support your wellbeing as you age.

If you already wear hearing aids, an annual test is still worthwhile. Your hearing can change, and if it does, your devices may need to be reprogrammed to reflect your current hearing prescription.

When to Test More Frequently

Annual testing works well as a general baseline, but some situations call for more frequent monitoring. If you work in a loud environment — construction, manufacturing, music, or similar fields — your hearing may be at greater risk for noise-induced damage. The same applies if you've noticed a sudden change in your hearing, experience ringing in the ears (tinnitus), or have a family history of hearing loss.

If any of these apply to you, we'd encourage you not to wait for your annual visit — come in sooner.

OTC Devices Are Not a Substitute for a Professional Evaluation

Over-the-counter hearing devices have become more widely available in recent years, and while they may offer some benefit for people with very mild hearing loss, they are not a substitute for a professional hearing evaluation. Without a proper diagnosis, there's no way to know the type or degree of your hearing loss, which means there's no way to know whether an OTC device is appropriate — or if it's actually addressing your needs.

Prescription hearing aids from leading manufacturers are programmed specifically to your hearing loss profile by a licensed audiologist. That level of customization, combined with ongoing care and adjustments over time, produces a consistently better outcome than a self-selected OTC device. We say this not to dismiss OTC options, but to be straightforward with you about what tends to deliver results.

Schedule Your Hearing Evaluation in Lakewood

At Professional Hearing Services, we've been providing hearing care to patients in the Denver metro area since 1992 — and we offer both in-office appointments and mobile audiology services for those who prefer care at home.

If it's been a while since your last hearing test — or if you've never had one — we'd be glad to help. Give us a call at (303) 237-4967 or visit us at 2405 Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood to schedule your evaluation. Our team is here Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Your hearing connects you to the people and moments that matter. It's worth checking in on.