Degree of Hearing Loss
Degree of hearing loss measures the lowest intensity at which sound is apparent, also called the patient’s threshold. This is used to determine "severity of loss" in a patient. The following is one of the more conventionally used classification systems to describe hearing loss:
Levels of Hearing Loss
The degree of hearing loss varies from person to person. Between the two extremes of hearing well and hearing nothing, there are many degrees of impairment. The terms used to describe the degree of hearing loss are mild, moderate, severe and profound. Most hearing losses are mild to moderate.
What Does the Degree of Hearing Loss Mean?
Mild hearing loss: unable to hear soft sounds, difficulty understanding speech clearly in noisy environments.
Moderate hearing loss: unable to hear soft and moderately loud sounds, considerable difficulty understanding speech, particularly with background noise.
Severe hearing loss: some loud sounds are audible but communication without a hearing instrument is impossible.
Profound hearing loss: some extremely loud sounds are audible but communication without a hearing instrument is impossible.
| Degree of Hearing | Bottom Range of Hearing |
| Normal hearing | down to 20 dB |
| Mild hearing loss | 21 to 40 dB |
| Moderate hearing loss | 41 to 60 dB |
| Severe hearing loss | 61 to 90 dB |
| Profound hearing loss | below 90 dB |
