This is the most common type of hearing loss seen in older workers in noisy industries. It is generally due to the effects of too much noise for too many years on the inner ear and related structures.
Note that in the lower frequencies, the hearing sensitivity is good enough to give you some vowel information. You will therefore be able to know that someone is talking. However, look at how far below the consonant areas (in the upper right hand portion of the yellow area of the graph) your hearing sensitivity falls. Because you are missing so many consonants, you are going to have a large problem distinguishing one word from another. Someone might ask you one question, and you might answer a different one.
You need hearing aids, though even with hearing aids, you are still going to have some trouble distinguishing words. The hearing aids can only correct so much.
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