2024-01-12 06:28:14
Researchers Identify New Sign of Hearing Loss
A team of psychologists and neuroscientists from the University of Toronto and Rotman Research Institute in Canada have found a new way to indicate hearing loss – and it has nothing to do with the ears. The researchers observed that the more a person struggles to hear, the more fixed their gaze becomes. This discovery could help identify hearing difficulties much earlier than conventional hearing tests.
The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, included three different experiments with young participants who reported having normal hearing. The participants listened to recorded speech and underwent eye movement tracking while undergoing a series of listening comprehension tests.
Results from the experiments consistently showed that as the speech became less clear and more difficult to understand, participants’ eye movements decreased, indicating a higher level of effort to listen. This suggests that eye movements can serve as an indicator of the amount of effort a person is putting into hearing.
The implications of this research could have a significant impact on the early detection of hearing loss. The lead researcher, Bjorn Herman, explained that from a clinical perspective, the next steps would be to investigate whether eye movements could also indicate listening effort in adults. This new approach could prove useful in assessing the effectiveness of hearing aids and understanding the level of effort required for hearing-impaired individuals.
This groundbreaking discovery opens up new possibilities for identifying and treating hearing loss at an earlier stage, potentially improving the outcomes for those experiencing difficulties with their hearing. While eye movements have long been associated with cognitive tasks, this research highlights their significance in the context of hearing, paving the way for new diagnostic methods and treatment approaches for hearing impairment.
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