Millions of years ago, the world was much different. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked Diplacusis roamed. Thanks to its really long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so big that it was afraid of no predator.
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 called diplacusis.
Diplacusis is a condition which can be frustrating and confusing resulting in difficulty communicating.
Maybe you’ve been hearing some unusual things
We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as a sort of progressive decreasing of the volume knob. According to this idea, over time, we simply hear less and less. But sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some peculiar ways. Diplacusis is one of the stranger, and also more frustrating, of these hearing conditions.
Diplacusis, what is it?
Exactly what is diplacusis? Diplacusis is a medical name that means, pretty simply, “double hearing”. Typically, your brain will mix the sound from your right and left ear into one sound. This blended 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? Usually, with your ears, you don’t even notice it.
Diplacusis happens when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so significantly that your brain can no longer combine them, at least not very well. Monaural diplacusis is a result of hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is caused by hearing loss in both.
Two forms of diplacusis
Diplacusis doesn’t impact everybody in the same way. Normally, though, people will experience one of the following two 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 rather than hearing two separate pitches. This may cause echoes (or, instead, artifacts that sound like echoes). And understanding speech can become difficult as a result.
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear don’t match it’s a sign of this type of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when someone speaks with you. Maybe your right ear thinks the sound is low-pitched and your left ear thinks the sound is high-pitched. Those sounds can be hard to understand consequently.
Diplacusis symptoms
The symptoms of diplacusis can include:
- Off pitch hearing
- Phantom echoes
- Off timing hearing
Having said that, it’s helpful to think of diplacusis as akin to double vision: Yes, it can produce some symptoms on its own, but it’s normally itself a symptom of something else. (It’s the effect, essentially, not the cause.) Diplacusis, in these circumstances, is probably a symptom of hearing loss. So your best course of action would be to Schedule an appointment with us for a hearing test.
What causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and probably not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis align quite nicely with the causes of hearing loss. But you may experience diplacusis for a number of particular reasons:
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even normal allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This swelling, while a typical response, can effect the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Your ears have damage caused by noise: If you’ve experienced hearing loss as a result of noise damage, it’s possible that it could cause diplacusis.
- Earwax: In some cases, an earwax obstruction can interfere with your ability to hear. That earwax obstruction can trigger diplacusis.
- A tumor: In some really rare instances, tumors in your ear canal can result in diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re normally benign. But you still should consult with us about it.
Obviously, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same common causes. Meaning that you likely have some level of hearing loss if you have diplacusis. So you should absolutely come in and see us.
Treatments for diplacusis
Depending on the main 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 blockage. But permanent sensorineural hearing loss is more frequently the cause. Here are some 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 likely disappear. You’ll want to talk to us about getting the correct settings for your hearing aids.
- 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.
All of this begins with a hearing test. Here’s how you can think about it: a hearing exam will be able to determine what kind of hearing loss is at the root of your diplacusis (maybe you just think things sound strange at this point and you don’t even recognize it as diplacusis). Modern hearing assessments are very sensitive, and good at finding discrepancies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing clearly is more fun than not
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. Conversations will be easier. 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 get in the way.
If you believe you have diplacusis and want to have it checked, give us a call for an appointment.
