Millions of years ago, the world was a lot different. The long-necked Diplacusis roamed this volcano-laden landscape. Thanks to its really long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so large that it feared no predator.
Actually, the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period is known as Diplodocus. When you’re hearing two sounds at the same time, that’s a hearing condition known as diplacusis.
While it’s not a “terrible lizard,” in many ways diplacusis can be a terror on its own, resulting in a hearing experience that feels confusing and out of sorts (often making communication difficult or impossible).
Maybe you’ve been hearing some odd things
Usually, we think of hearing loss as our hearing becoming muted or quiet over time. Over time, the idea is, we just hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well recognized, forms of hearing loss. Diplacusis is one of the stranger, and also more frustrating, of these hearing problems.
What is diplacusis?
So, what is diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical name that means, basically, “double hearing”. Normally, your brain takes signals from your right ear and signals from the left ear and combines them harmoniously into one sound. This combined sound is 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. Your ears are the same, it’s just that usually, you never notice it.
Diplacusis happens when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so wildly that your brain can no longer combine them, at least not well. Monaural diplacusis is caused by hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is caused by hearing loss in both.
Two types of diplacusis
Different people are impacted differently by diplacuses. Usually, though, individuals will experience one of the following two types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: This kind of diplacusis happens 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. Maybe your right ear hears the sound as low-pitched and your left ear hears the sound as high-pitched. This can cause those sounds to be difficult to understand.
- 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 may cause echoes (or, instead, artifacts that sound like echoes). This can also cause difficulty in terms of understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
Here are some symptoms of diplacusis:
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
- Off timing hearing
- Hearing that sounds off (in pitch).
That said, it’s useful to view 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.) Diplacusis, in these circumstances, is probably a symptom of hearing loss. Consequently, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably schedule 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 may develop diplacusis:
- An infection: Inflammation of your ear canal can be the result of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This swelling, while a normal response, can impact the way sound travels through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Earwax: In some cases, an earwax blockage can hinder your ability to hear. That earwax blockage can lead to diplacusis.
- Your ears have damage related to noise: If you’ve experienced enough loud noises to damage your hearing, it’s feasible that the same damage has brought about hearing loss, and consequently, diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some really rare instances, tumors in your ear canal can cause diplacusis. But remain calm! They’re normally benign. Nevertheless, it’s something you should talk to your hearing specialist about!
It’s clear that there are a number 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 see a hearing specialist.
How is diplacusis treated?
The treatments for diplacusis differ 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 frequently the cause. In these situations, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: Your hearing can be neutralized with the correct pair of hearing aids. Your diplacusis symptoms will gradually fade when you take advantage of hearing aids. You’ll want to consult us about finding the right 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.
All of this begins with a hearing exam. Here’s how you can think about it: a hearing exam will be able to identify what type of hearing loss is at the root of your diplacusis (and, to be fair, you might not even recognize it as diplacusis, you may just think stuff sounds weird these days). Modern hearing tests are quite sensitive, and good at finding discrepancies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing clearly is more fun than not
You’ll be better able to enjoy your life when you get the appropriate treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s hearing aids or some other treatment. It will be easier to talk to people. It will be easier to communicate with your family.
Which means, you’ll be able to hear your grandkids tell you all about what a Diplodocus is, and you (hopefully) won’t have any diplacusis to impede you.
If you believe you have diplacusis and want to have it checked, call today for an appointment.
