Millions of years ago, the world was quite a bit different. The long-necked Diplacusis roamed this volcano-laden landscape. Thanks to its extra long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so big that it feared no predator.
Actually, Diplodocus is the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. Diplacusis is a hearing affliction that causes you to hear two sounds at the same time.
While it’s not a “terrible lizard,” in many ways diplacusis can be a terror on its own, causing a hearing experience that feels confusing and out of sorts (often making communication challenging or impossible).
Perhaps you’ve been hearing some odd things
We’re used to regarding hearing loss as a sort of gradual lowering of the volume knob. Over time, the idea is, we just hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well known, types of hearing loss. Diplacusis is one of the stranger, and also more frustrating, of these hearing problems.
What is diplacusis?
Exactly what is diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical name that means, pretty simply, “double hearing”. Normally, your brain gets signals from your right ear and signals from the left ear and combines them harmoniously into one sound. This blended sound is what you hear. Your eyes are doing the same thing. You will see slightly different images if you put your hand over each eye one at a time. Normally, with your ears, you don’t even notice it.
Diplacusis happens when the hearing abilities of your ears differ so wildly that your brain can no longer blend 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.
Diplacusis comes in two forms
Different individuals are impacted in different ways 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 don’t match it’s an indicator of this form of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when someone talks to you. Maybe your right ear hears the sound as low-pitched and your left ear hears the sound as high-pitched. This can make those sounds hard to understand.
- Diplacusis echoica: This happens when the pitch is mostly the same from ear to ear, but due to your hearing loss, the timing is out of whack. Artifacts like echoes can be the result. This can also cause difficulty with regard to understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
The symptoms of diplacusis could include:
- Off timing hearing
- Phantom echoes
- Off pitch hearing
That said, it’s helpful to view diplacusis as similar to double vision: It’s usually a symptom of something else, but it can create some of its own symptoms. (It’s the effect, essentially, not the cause.) In these circumstances, diplacusis is almost 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 a hearing specialist.
What are the causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and probably not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis align rather nicely with the causes of hearing loss. But there are a few specific reasons why you could develop diplacusis:
- An infection: Inflammation of your ear canal can be the consequence of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This inflammation, while a normal response, can effect the way sound travels through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Your ears have damage caused by noise: If you’ve experienced hearing loss due to noise damage, it’s feasible that it could cause diplacusis.
- Earwax: Your hearing can be affected by an earwax obstruction. Whether that earwax forms a partial or full obstruction, it can cause diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some extremely rare instances, tumors inside your ear canal can lead to diplacusis. Don’t panic! In most cases they’re benign. But you should still consult with us about it.
Obviously, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same common causes. Which means that if you have diplacusis, it’s likely that something is interfering with your ability to hear. Which means it’s a good idea to visit a hearing specialist.
How is diplacusis treated?
Depending on the root cause, there are a few possible treatments. If your condition is related to an obstruction, such as earwax, then treatment will concentrate on the removal of that obstruction. However, diplacusis is frequently brought on by permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Here are some treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The correct pair of hearing aids can neutralize how your ears hear again. Your diplacusis symptoms will slowly fade when you benefit from hearing aids. It’s essential to get the right 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 might be the only way to provide relief from the symptoms.
All of this starts with a hearing test. Here’s how you can think about it: whatever kind of hearing loss is the cause of your diplacusis, a hearing test will be able to determine that (and, to be fair, you might not even recognize it as diplacusis, you might just think things sound weird these days). Modern hearing assessments are really sensitive, and good at detecting inconsistencies between how your ears hear the world.
Life is more fun when you can hear clearly
Getting the proper 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. Talking with others will be easier. Keeping up with your family will be easier.
Which means, you’ll be able to hear your grandchildren tell you all about what a Diplodocus is, and you (hopefully) won’t have any diplacusis to get in the way.
Call today for an appointment to have your diplacusis symptoms assessed.