Millions of years ago, the world was quite a bit different. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis roamed. Thanks to its really long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so big 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.
Diplacusis is a condition which can be frustrating and confusing resulting in difficulty with communication.
Perhaps you’ve been hearing some strange things
Typically, we regard hearing loss as our hearing becoming muted or quiet over time. According to this idea, over time, we just hear less and less. But in some cases, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. Diplacusis is one of the weirder, and also more frustrating, of these hearing conditions.
Diplacusis, what is it?
So, what is diplacusis? The meaning of the medical term diplacusis is basically “double hearing”. Normally, your brain takes information from the right ear and information from the left ear and marries them harmoniously into one sound. That’s what you hear. The same thing happens with your eyes. If you put a hand over your right eye and then a hand on your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? 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 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
Diplacusis doesn’t impact everyone in the same way. Usually, though, individuals will experience one of the following two types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear are off it’s an indicator of this type of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when somebody speaks with you. One side might sound high-pitched and the other low-pitched. This can cause those sounds to be difficult to make out.
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will seem off because your brain receives the sound from each ear out of sync with the other rather than hearing two different pitches. This could cause echoes (or, rather, artifacts that sound similar to echoes). This can also cause challenges when it comes to understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
The symptoms of diplacusis can include:
- Off pitch hearing
- Off timing hearing
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
Having said that, it’s useful to view diplacusis as akin to double vision: It’s usually a symptom of something else, but it can create some of its own symptoms. (Essentially, it’s the effect, not the cause.) Diplacusis, in these cases, is probably a symptom of hearing loss. So your best strategy would be to make an appointment with us for a hearing exam.
What are the causes diplacusis?
The causes of diplacusis line up very well, in a general way, with the causes of hearing loss. But there are some specific reasons why you may develop 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 effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Earwax: In some cases, an earwax obstruction can interfere with your ability to hear. Whether that earwax forms a partial or complete obstruction, it can cause diplacusis.
- Your ears have damage related to noise: If you’ve experienced hearing loss caused by noise damage, it’s feasible that it could trigger diplacusis.
- A tumor: Diplacusis can, in rare situations, be the result of a tumor in your ear canal. Don’t panic! In most instances they’re benign. But you should still speak with us about it.
Obviously, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same common causes. Which means that if you’re experiencing diplacusis, it’s likely that something is impeding your ability to hear. Which means it’s a good idea to visit 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 focus on clearing it out. But permanent sensorineural hearing loss is more often the cause. Here are a few treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The right pair of hearing aids can equalize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will most likely disappear. It’s essential to get the proper settings on your hearing aids and you’ll need to have us help you with that.
- Cochlear implant: A cochlear implant might be the only way of managing diplacusis if the root cause is profound hearing loss.
A hearing exam is the first step to getting it all figured out. 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 determine that (and, to be fair, you might not even recognize it as diplacusis, you might just think things sound weird these days). We have extremely sensitive hearing tests nowadays and any discrepancies with how your ears are hearing the world will be found.
Life is more fun when you can hear well
Getting the proper treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s a hearing aid or something else, means you’ll be more able to participate in your daily life. Conversations will be easier. It will be easier to communicate with your family.
So there will be no diplacusis symptoms interfering with your ability to hear your grandkids telling you all about the Diplodocus.
Call today for an appointment to have your diplacusis symptoms assessed.