Millions of years ago, the world was a lot different. The long-necked Diplacusis roamed this volcano-laden landscape. Thanks to its really long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so big that it was afraid of no predator.
Actually, the long-necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period is known as Diplodocus. Diplacusis is a hearing condition that causes you to hear two sounds instead of one.
While it’s not a “terrible lizard,” in many ways diplacusis can be a terror on its own, causing a hearing experience that feels bewildering and out of sorts (often making communication challenging or impossible).
Maybe you’ve been hearing some unusual things
Typically, we think of hearing loss as our hearing getting muted or quiet over time. Over time, the idea is, we simply hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well recognized, forms of hearing loss. One of the most fascinating (or, perhaps, frustrating) such manifestations is a condition called diplacusis.
Diplacusis, what is it?
So, what’s diplacusis? The meaning of the medical name diplacusis is basically “double hearing”. Normally, your brain gets signals from your right ear and signals 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. You will see slightly different images if you cover each eye one at a time. It’s the same with your ears, it’s just that usually, you never notice it.
When your brain can’t effectively integrate the two sounds from your ears because they are too different, you have this condition of diplacusis. Monaural diplacusis is caused by hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is due to hearing loss in both.
Diplacusis comes in two types
Diplacusis does not affect everybody in the same way. However, there are usually two basic types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will sound off because your brain gets the sound from each ear out of sync with the other instead of hearing two different pitches. This could cause echoes (or, instead, artifacts that sound like echoes). This can also cause difficulty in terms of understanding speech.
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear are off it’s a sign of this type of diplacusis. So when your grandkids talk to you, the pitch of their voice will sound distorted. 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 make out.
Diplacusis symptoms
Here are some symptoms of diplacusis:
- Off pitch hearing
- Hearing that seems off (in timing).
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
Having said that, it’s helpful to think of diplacusis as similar to double vision: Yes, it can produce some symptoms on its own, but it’s usually itself a symptom of something else. (In other words, 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 Schedule an appointment with us for a hearing test.
What are the causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and probably not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis line up rather nicely with the causes of hearing loss. But there are a few specific reasons why you might develop diplacusis:
- An infection: Inflammation of your ear canal can be the result of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This swelling, while a normal response, can effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Earwax: In some circumstances, an earwax blockage can hinder your ability to hear. That earwax blockage can cause diplacusis.
- Noise-related damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced enough loud sounds to damage your ears, it’s possible that the same damage has brought about hearing loss, and as a result, diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some really rare instances, tumors inside your ear canal can result in diplacusis. But stay calm! They’re normally benign. But you still should speak with us about it.
It’s obvious that there are a number of the same causes of hearing loss and diplacusis. Which means that if you have diplacusis, it’s a good bet something is impeding your ability to hear. Which means you have a good reason to see a hearing specialist.
Treatments for diplacusis
Depending on the underlying cause, there are a few possible treatments. If your condition is the result of an obstruction, such as earwax, then treatment will concentrate on the removal of that obstruction. But permanent sensorineural hearing loss is more often the cause. Here are some treatment options if that’s the situation:
- Hearing aids: The right set of hearing aids can neutralize how your ears hear again. Your diplacusis symptoms will gradually fade when you take advantage of hearing aids. It’s essential to get the proper settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us help you with that.
- Cochlear implant: In cases where the hearing loss at the root of diplacusis is profound, a cochlear implant may be the only way to provide relief from the symptoms.
A hearing test is the first step to getting it all figured out. Think about it like this: whatever type of hearing loss is the cause of your diplacusis, a hearing test will be able to identify that (and, to be fair, you might not even recognize it as diplacusis, you might 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 appropriate treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s hearing aids or something else. It will be easier to talk to people. 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 grandchildren telling you all about the Diplodocus.
If you think you have diplacusis and want to have it checked, call today for an appointment.