The world was very different millions of years ago. The long-necked Diplacusis roamed this volcano-laden landscape. Diplacusis was so large, thanks 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 simultaneously, that’s a hearing condition called diplacusis.
While it’s not a “terrible lizard,” in many ways diplacusis can be a menace on its own, resulting in a hearing experience that feels bewildering and out of sorts (frequently making communication difficult or impossible).
Perhaps your hearing has been a little weird lately
We’re used to regarding hearing loss as a kind of progressive lowering of the volume knob. Over time, the story goes, we simply hear less and less. But there are some other, not so well known, types 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? Diplacusis is a medical term that means, basically, “double hearing”. Typically, your brain will mix the sound from your right and left ear into one sound. That’s what you hear. The same thing occurs with your eyes. You will see slightly different images if you put your hand over each eye one at a time. 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 caused by hearing loss in only one ear while binaural diplacusis is caused by hearing loss in both.
Two types of diplacusis
Diplacusis does not impact everyone in the same way. However, there are typically two basic types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: When the pitch of the right and left ear are off it’s an indicator of this form of diplacusis. So the sound will be distorted when somebody talks to 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 difficult to understand as a result.
- Diplacusis echoica: With this, what you hear will sound off because your brain receives the sound from each ear out of sync with the other instead of hearing two separate pitches. Artifacts like echoes can be the result. This can also cause challenges with regard to understanding speech.
Symptoms of diplacusis
The symptoms of diplacusis could include:
- Hearing that seems off (in pitch).
- Hearing that sounds off (in timing).
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
Having said that, it’s useful to view diplacusis as akin to double vision: It’s normally a symptom of something else, but it can produce some of its own symptoms. (Essentially, it’s the effect, not the cause.) In these circumstances, diplacusis is nearly always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). Consequently, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist.
What causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and maybe not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis align rather well with the causes of hearing loss. But you could develop diplacusis for numerous specific reasons:
- Earwax: Your hearing can be impacted by an earwax blockage. Whether that earwax forms a partial or full blockage, it can lead to diplacusis.
- An infection: Swelling of your ear canal can be the outcome of an ear infection, sinus infection, or even allergies. This inflammation, while a natural response, can impact the way sound moves through your inner ear and to your brain.
- Noise-related damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced enough loud sounds to damage your ears, it’s feasible that the same damage has led to hearing loss, and consequently, diplacusis.
- A tumor: Diplacusis can, in rare situations, be the result of a tumor inside of your ear canal. But remain calm! They’re normally benign. Still, it’s something you should speak with your hearing specialist about!
Obviously, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same common causes. Meaning that you probably have some amount of hearing loss if you have diplacusis. So you should definitely come in and talk to us.
Treatments for diplacusis
The treatments for diplacusis vary based on the root cause. If your condition is caused by an obstruction, such as earwax, then treatment will concentrate on the removal of that obstruction. However, diplacusis is frequently brought on by irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. In these cases, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: The correct pair of hearing aids can equalize how your ears hear again. Your diplacusis symptoms will gradually fade when you take advantage of hearing aids. It’s essential to get the correct settings on your hearing aids and you’ll want to have us help you with that.
- Cochlear implant: In circumstances 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: whatever kind 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 things sound weird these days). Modern hearing assessments are very sensitive, and good at detecting 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 proper treatment for your diplacusis, whether that’s hearing aids or something else. Talking with others 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.
If you think you have diplacusis and want to have it checked, give us a call for an appointment.
