Grade 3 hearing loss is already a severe form of hearing impairment. A person not only cannot lead a normal life, but also puts himself in danger every day, going out into the street. After all, he hears only very loud sounds or those whose source is at a distance of no more than 2-3 meters. Thus, he may not hear the sound of an approaching vehicle or a falling object, and as a result, he may be seriously injured.
Causes and symptoms
Grade 3 congenital hearing loss is fairly easy to identify at an early age. The main thing is to carefully monitor the development of the baby in the first year of life and immediately sound the alarm if the child:
- does not react in any way to harsh sounds or noise from falling objects;
- does not turn the head towards the speaker when he is out of his field of vision;
- does not respond to an appeal to him, does not respond to a name.
Usually, the primary diagnosis is made by a pediatrician during regular preventive examinations. But to confirm it, it is necessary to conduct a full examination by an otolaryngologist and do several tests.
The main reason that acquired hearing loss of grade 3 gradually develops is inadequate treatment or its complete absence in the early stages of the disease. Grade 3 sensorineural hearing loss progresses especially quickly and imperceptibly at first, the treatment of which usually requires the use of correctly selected antibiotics.
But, unfortunately, many patients with small hearing loss prefer not to see a doctor, but to solve the problem on their own, at home, using folk remedies. As a result, they get to a specialist when the disease has already started, and irreversible processes have begun in the hearing aid.
The main symptoms of grade 3 hearing loss are:
- reducing the auditory threshold to 55-70 dB;
- the inability to catch a whisper even at close range;
- the ability to clearly distinguish speech from a distance of up to 1-3 meters;
- difficult orientation in the surrounding space;
- recurrent dizziness and tinnitus.
The same signs can occur suddenly after an injury or rupture of the tympanic membrane under the influence of a strong acoustic impact or barotrauma. In this case, surgery is likely to be needed to restore hearing.
Treatment of the disease
There is no general treatment regimen for the disease. It is developed individually in each case, taking into account the patient's age, the type of hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural or mixed), the causes of the disease and current symptoms. Complex therapy is usually prescribed, which includes drug treatment and physiotherapy procedures. At the initial stage of treatment, the patient is admitted to a hospital, and then it continues on an outpatient basis.
Patients with grade 3 hearing loss cannot lead a normal life, they have very difficult communication and have minor everyday problems. Therefore, they need to compensate for their hearing loss with quality hearing aids.
The doctor will tell you how to choose the right model and type of device. In cases where hearing restoration is impossible and there are no medical contraindications, the issue of hearing aids through the installation of implants is considered.
Disability assignment
If, as a result of complex treatment, hearing loss of the 3rd degree has not passed, disability can be assigned according to the results of the VKK (medical and consulting commission). Usually, such patients, after providing all the necessary tests and documents and considering each hotel case, the third group of disability is established.
The procedure for obtaining a group is rather complicated. When hearing loss of 3 degrees is congenital or senile, a positive decision is made in most cases. But acquired hearing loss is considered temporary if it is not associated with the following reasons for hearing loss:
- mechanical trauma to the head or ear;
- brain tumor or intra-aural;
- cochlear nerve tumor - neuroma;
- the consequence of serious acoustic or barotrauma;
- degenerative changes in the tympanic membrane.
In all other cases, active treatment of grade 3 hearing loss is carried out in advance for a long time. And only in the case when all the methods have been tried and none of them gave a stable positive dynamics, the question of the appointment of disability is raised.
After receiving the group, the patient is prescribed an individual rehabilitation program and is given the opportunity to receive compensation for the hearing aid purchased in a predetermined place, which in most cases is simply necessary. If the device is purchased online or in other specialized stores and private clinics, no compensation will be issued.
A hearing impaired also has the right to partial or full compensation for the purchase of specialized technical equipment: a television with titrated dubbing, a mobile phone, etc. If necessary, he is provided with a sign language interpreter (40 hours per year). When applying to the pension fund, a small pension is assigned.
With a frequency of once a year, the patient is placed in a hospital for the purpose of re-examination. If the hearing condition does not improve within 4 years, permanent disability may be assigned. If there is a positive trend, and hearing has improved, the group can be removed, and the benefits will be lost.
