The usual cause of hearing loss after the age of 60 is presbycusis, a disorder that results from the aging process.
The public concern over natural hearing loss — the Times explains that the medical term is "presbycusis" — is part of a trend that started when Bob Dole told the nation that he had trouble getting an erection.
Why? A. Age-related hearing loss, called presbycusis, is characterized by loss of hair cells in the base of the cochlea, or inner ear, that are attuned to capture and transmit high-frequency sounds, said Dr. Anil K. Lalwani, director of otology, neurotology and skull-base surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center
In the case of the menu, the problem was presbyopia; in the case of the waiter, it may be presbycusis – unless, of course, acting classes have not cured him of mumbling.
"Patients with presbycusis perceive an incremental increase in loudness to be much greater than those with normal hearing," he said.
While hearing loss can have a variety of causes, including infection and some medications, presbycusis is the term for the gradual decline in ear function that occurs as people age.
An emerging area of research is looking at a link between noise exposure and the degree and rate of development of presbycusis.
"Contrary to expectation, presbycusis is also associated with sensitivity to loud noises," Dr. Lalwani said.
— George B., Creve Coeur, Missouri A. Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is increasing as the baby-boom generation grows older.
Older people, too, are more distracted, with research in 2013 showing they hear background music louder, a condition known as presbycusis, and suffer noise nuisance on their hearing aids.
Hearing loss from age (presbycusis) can begin before the Social Security years, but boomers are also likely candidates for noise-induced hearing loss, particularly the kind that results from continuous loud noise over an extended period of time (like a 115-decibel rock concert).
