Millions of years ago, the world was quite a bit different. The long-necked Diplacusis wandered this volcano-laden landscape. Diplacusis was so large, due to its long tail and neck, that no other predators were a threat.
Actually, Diplodocus is the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. 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 unusual things
Usually, we think of hearing loss as our hearing becoming muted or quiet over time. Over time, the story goes, we simply hear less and less. But sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. Diplacusis is one of the weirder, and also more frustrating, of these hearing problems.
What is diplacusis?
So, what’s diplacusis? The meaning of the medical name diplacusis is simply “double hearing”. Typically, your brain takes information from the right ear and information 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. If you place a hand over your right eye and then a hand over your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? It’s the same with your ears, it’s just that usually, you don’t notice it.
Diplacusis happens when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so wildly that your brain can no longer merge them, at least not very well. Monaural diplacusis is a result of hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is due to hearing loss in both.
Diplacusis comes in two kinds
Diplacusis does not affect everyone in the same way. Normally, 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 indication of this form of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when someone talks to you. Perhaps your right ear hears the sound as low-pitched and your left ear hears the sound as high-pitched. Those sounds can be difficult to understand consequently.
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will seem off because your brain gets 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 like echoes). This can also cause difficulty when it comes to understanding speech.
Symptoms of diplacusis
Here are some symptoms of diplacusis:
- Off pitch hearing
- Hearing that seems off (in timing).
- Phantom echoes
That said, it’s helpful to think of diplacusis as akin to double vision: It’s normally a symptom of something else, but it can produce some of its own symptoms. (In other words, it’s the effect, not the cause.) In these cases, diplacusis is almost always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). As a result, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist.
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 a few particular reasons why you may develop 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.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even normal allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This swelling, while a normal response, can effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Earwax: Your ability to hear can be impacted by an earwax blockage. Whether that earwax causes a partial or complete blockage, it can lead to diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some very rare situations, tumors inside your ear canal can lead to diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re normally benign. Nevertheless, it’s something you should speak with your hearing specialist about!
As you can see, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same typical causes. 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 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 center around clearing it out. However, diplacusis is frequently caused by permanent sensorineural hearing loss. Here are a few treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The correct pair of hearing aids can neutralize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will most likely fade. You’ll want to consult us about getting the right settings for your hearing aids.
- Cochlear implant: A cochlear implant may be the only way of dealing with diplacusis if the root cause is profound hearing loss.
All of this starts with a hearing test. Here’s how you can think about it: a hearing exam will be able to establish what type of hearing loss is at the root of your diplacusis (and, to be fair, you may not even recognize it as diplacusis, you may just think stuff sounds weird these days). We have very sensitive hearing tests nowadays and any inconsistencies with how your ears are hearing the world will be detected.
Life is more fun when you can hear well
You’ll be better able to enjoy your life when you get the correct treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s hearing aids or something else. It will be easier to carry on conversations. 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 impede you.
If you believe you have diplacusis and want to have it checked, call today for an appointment.
