Picture what life is like for your loved one who experiences hearing loss. Sure, you can name some of the challenges they face, but can you actually imagine how different the world sounds to them? Probably not. That’s why hearing experts have developed hearing loss simulators that can help you better understand what hearing loss sounds like and feels like.

These simulators can also help you detect your own hearing loss. If a certain level of hearing loss that you simulate reminds you of yourself, then you might need a hearing examination. Read on to learn about hearing loss simulators and what they mean for you and your loved ones.

How does a hearing loss simulator work?

A hearing loss simulation involves the following steps:

1. Visit a hearing loss simulator web page.

To start your simulation, you’ll need to visit a hearing loss simulator web page. There, you’ll find all the audio files, graphics, and animations comprising a simulation. A great starting point is the Audibel hearing loss simulator.

2. Choose a situation.

To start your hearing loss simulation, choose a real-life situation to mimic. Common choices include typical conversations, group settings such as meetings, and crowded environments such as restaurants and shopping. Many simulators also let you hear what it’s like to live with hearing loss when inside a car or listening to music.

3. Choose a hearing loss level.

A hearing aid simulator will let you choose among several levels of hearing loss. Some simulators include normal, severe, and mild hearing loss filters. Others include these three levels of hearing loss, plus a moderate hearing loss filter for those who may have more difficulty with their hearing.

This distinction is important. Moderate hearing loss covers a range of decibel (dB) reductions into which mild and severe hearing loss don’t dip. A hearing aid simulator with moderate, normal, mild, and severe filters thus gives you a greater diversity of simulation options. And if you’re trying to understand how your loved one’s hearing loss affects them, you need the most realistic, versatile simulation possible.

Think about it mathematically. A hearing loss simulator with seven scenarios and three hearing loss levels lets you experience 21 types of hearing. Add another hearing loss level, and you get 28 types of hearing instead. Maybe your loved one’s hearing loss more closely resembles one of these additional seven types than anything else.

4. Press play and look at the text.

Once your situation and hearing loss level are set, press the play button to begin your simulation. You’ll start hearing the audio file and seeing text that moves up as the script moves forward.

Most importantly, you can change the hearing loss level as the audio proceeds. With every increase in hearing loss level, the sound will get more muffled, and certain letters in the script will blur. This way, you can visualize how hearing loss affects your loved one. And then, you’ll be able to empathize with their hearing loss more than ever before.

What if I think I have hearing loss?

Although hearing loss simulators are often designed for those whose loved ones have hearing loss, they can also help you recognize your own hearing loss. And since hearing loss simulators are typically quite accessible and require little time, you might as well try them out. Maybe what you hear will remind you of your own hearing and convince you that you might have hearing loss.

If you do think you have hearing loss, schedule an appointment with a hearing care professional. This professional will conduct a painless, non-invasive hearing exam to determine the extent, if any, of your hearing loss. If hearing loss is detected, you’ll often be recommended hearing aids. And when that moment arrives, you’ll want the highest-tech hearing aids available.

Choose Audibel Manhattan for the most advanced hearing aid technology

At Audibel Manhattan, you can take advantage of hearing tests, hearing aid consultations, and hearing aid fittings, adjustments, and repairs in one fell swoop. Our hearing aid technology is also the most advanced around, with artificial intelligence that enables features previously unheard of in hearing aids. Fall detection, body and brain activity tracking, automatic location-based adjustments, transcription – the list goes on.

Better yet, our location at the border of Midtown East and the Upper East Side is just a hop and a skip from the subway. Parking is easy near us too. So what are you waiting for? After you use our hearing loss simulator, book an appointment to test your hearing and get the technology you need to restore your hearing loss. Your hearing loss simulation might be virtual, but your hearing loss – and the solutions to it – are real.