Millions of years ago, the world was much different. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis wandered. Thanks to its extra long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so large that it feared no predator.
Actually, the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period is known as Diplodocus. Diplacusis is a hearing affliction that causes you to hear two sounds instead of one.
Diplacusis is an affliction which can be challenging and confusing resulting in difficulty with communication.
Perhaps your hearing has been a bit strange lately
We’re accustomed to regarding hearing loss as a kind of progressive decreasing of the volume knob. According to this notion, over time, we simply hear less and less. But in some cases, hearing loss can manifest in some unusual ways. One of the most fascinating (or, perhaps, frustrating) such manifestations is a condition called diplacusis.
Diplacusis, what is it?
So, what is diplacusis? The meaning of the medical term diplacusis is simply “double hearing”. Typically, your brain takes signals from your right ear and signals from the left ear and joins them harmoniously into a single sound. That’s what you hear. Your eyes are doing the same thing. You will see slightly different images if you put your hand over each eye one at a time. Normally, with your ears, you don’t even notice it.
Diplacusis occurs when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so wildly that your brain can no longer merge them, at least not well. Monaural diplacusis is a result of hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is due to hearing loss in both.
Two kinds of diplacusis
Different people are impacted differently by diplacuses. Usually, though, individuals will experience one of the following two forms of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: This kind of diplacusis happens when the pitch of the right ear and the pitch of the left ear are hearing sound as two different pitches. So the sound will be distorted when somebody talks to you. Perhaps your right ear thinks the sound is low-pitched and your left ear thinks the sound is high-pitched. This can cause those sounds to be hard to understand.
- Diplacusis echoica: This happens when the pitch is nearly the same from ear to ear, but because of your hearing loss, the timing is all wonky. Artifacts similar to echoes can be the outcome. This can also cause challenges when it comes to understanding speech.
Diplacusis symptoms
Here are some symptoms of diplacusis:
- Hearing that sounds off (in timing).
- Hearing that sounds off (in pitch).
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
That said, it’s useful to view diplacusis as similar to double vision: It’s normally a symptom of something else, but it can create some of its own symptoms. (It’s the effect, essentially, 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 causes diplacusis?
The causes of diplacusis line up rather well, in a general way, with the causes of hearing loss. But there are some particular reasons why you might develop diplacusis:
- Your ears have damage related to noise: If you’ve experienced hearing loss due to noise damage, it’s possible that it could trigger diplacusis.
- An infection: Swelling of your ear canal can be the outcome of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This swelling, while a natural response, can impact the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Earwax: In some circumstances, an earwax blockage can hinder your hearing. Whether that earwax causes a partial or full obstruction, it can cause diplacusis.
- A tumor: Diplacusis can, in rare cases, be the result of a tumor inside of your ear canal. But stay calm! In most instances they’re benign. Nevertheless, it’s something you should speak with your hearing specialist about!
It’s clear that there are a number of the same causes of hearing loss and diplacusis. Meaning that you probably have some level of hearing loss if you’re experiencing diplacusis. So you should definitely come in and talk to us.
Treatments for diplacusis
The treatments for diplacusis differ based on the underlying cause. If you have a blockage, treating your diplacusis will focus on clearing it out. But irreversible sensorineural hearing loss is more often the cause. In these cases, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: Your hearing can be neutralized with the correct set of hearing aids. Your diplacusis symptoms will gradually fade when you benefit from hearing aids. You’ll want to talk to us about getting the correct settings for your hearing aids.
- Cochlear implant: A cochlear implant may be the only way of managing diplacusis if the root cause is profound hearing loss.
A hearing exam is the first step to getting to the bottom of the problem. Here’s how you can think about it: a hearing exam will be able to establish what type of hearing loss is at the source of your diplacusis (maybe you simply think things sound strange at this point and you don’t even identify it as diplacusis). Modern hearing assessments are quite sensitive, and good at detecting discrepancies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing well is more fun than not
Getting the right 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. Keeping up with your family will be easier.
So there will be no diplacusis symptoms getting in the way of your ability to hear your grandkids telling you all about the Diplodocus.
Call today for an appointment to get your diplacusis symptoms assessed.