The world was very different millions of years ago. This steamy, volcano-laden landscape is where the long-necked diplacusis roamed. Thanks to its extra long neck and tail, Diplacusis was so large that it feared no predator–oh, wait. What’s that?
Oh… ah, ahem. Apologies. Diplodocus is the long necked dinosaur from the Jurassic Period. Diplacusis is a hearing condition that causes you to hear two sounds instead of one.
While it’s not a “terrible lizard,” in many ways diplacusis can be a terror on its own–leading to a hearing experience that feels confusing and out of sorts (often making communication challenging or impossible).
Maybe you’ve been hearing some odd things
We’re used to thinking of hearing loss as a kind of gradual lowering of the volume knob. Over time, the story goes, we just hear less and less. But sometimes, hearing loss can manifest in some peculiar ways. One of the most interesting (or, perhaps, frustrating) such presentations is a condition called diplacusis.
What is diplacusis?
So, what is diplacusis? We know it’s not a dinosaur! Diplacusis is a medical term that means, pretty simply, “double hearing.” Typically, your brain takes information from the right ear and information from the left ear and marries them harmoniously into one sound. That’s what you hear. (The same thing happens with your eyes. If you put a hand over your right eye and then a hand over your left eye, you see slightly different images, right? It’s the same with your ears–it’s just typically you never notice it.)
Diplacusis occurs when the hearing abilities of your ears vary so wildly that your brain can no longer combine them–at least not well. You can develop diplacusis due to hearing loss in one ear (called monaural diplacusis) or both ears (binaural diplacusis).
Two types of diplacusis
Diplacusis does not impact everyone in the same way. However, there are typically two basic types of diplacusis:
- Diplacusis dysharmonica: This type of diplacusis occurs when the pitch of the right ear and the pitch of the left ear seem off. So when your grandkids talk to you, the pitch of their voice will sound distorted. (Maybe your right ear thinks the sound is low pitched and your left ear thinks the sound is high pitched.) This can make those sounds hard to understand.
- Diplacusis echoica: This occurs when the pitch is mostly the same from ear to ear–but because of your hearing loss, the timing is all wonky. This could cause echoes (or, rather, artifacts that sound like echoes). This can also cause difficulty when it comes to understanding speech.
Symptoms of diplacusis
The symptoms of diplacusis can include:
- Hearing that sounds off (in pitch).
- Hearing that sounds off (in timing).
- Hearing echoes where they don’t actually exist.
- And more.
That said, it’s helpful to think of diplacusis as similar to double vision: Yes, it can produce some symptoms on its own, but it’s usually itself a symptom of something else. (In other words, it’s the effect, not the cause.) In these cases, diplacusis is almost always a symptom of hearing loss (either in one ear or in both ears). As a result, if you experience diplacusis, you should probably make an appointment with a hearing specialist.
What causes diplacusis?
In a very general sense (and perhaps not surprisingly), the causes of diplacusis line up rather nicely with the causes of hearing loss. But there are some specific reasons why you might develop diplacusis:
- Noise-related damage to your ears: If you’ve experienced enough loud noises to damage your hearing, it’s possible that same damage has resulted in hearing loss–and as a result, diplacusis.
- Earwax: In some cases, an earwax blockage can interfere with your ability to hear. Whether that earwax forms a partial or full obstruction, it can cause diplacusis.
- An infection: Ear infections, sinus infections, or even just plain old allergies can cause your ear canal to swell. This swelling is a typical immune response, but it can impact the way sound waves travel into your inner ear (and therefore your brain).
- A tumor: In some very rare instances, tumors inside your ear canal can cause diplacusis. Don’t panic! They’re usually benign. Still, it’s something you should talk to your hearing specialist about!
As you can see, diplacusis and hearing loss have many of the same typical causes. Which means that if you have diplacusis, it’s a good bet something is interfering with your ability to hear. (Which means you have a good reason to visit a hearing specialist.)
How is diplacusis treated?
The treatments for diplacusis vary based on the underlying cause. If your condition is caused by an obstruction–such as earwax–then treatment will focus on the removal of that obstruction. However, diplacusis is often caused by permanent sensorineural hearing loss. In these cases, the best treatment options include:
- Hearing aids: The right pair of hearing aids can equalize how your ears hear again. This means that the symptoms of diplacusis will likely fade. You’ll want to talk to your hearing specialist about finding the right 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 starts with a hearing test. Think about it like this: a hearing test will be able to determine what type of hearing loss is at the source of your diplacusis (and, to be fair, you might not even recognize it as diplacusis: you might just think stuff sounds weird these days). Modern hearing tests are quite sensitive–and good at detecting discrepancies between how your ears hear the world.
Hearing well is more fun than not
Getting the right treatment for your diplacusis–whether that’s a hearing aid or something else–means you’ll be more able to participate in your daily life. Conversations will be easier. Keeping up with your family will be easier.
Which means you’ll be able to hear your grandkids tell you all about what a diplodocus is–and you (hopefully) won’t have any diplacusis to get in the way.
If you think you have diplacusis and want to get it checked, find a hearing center near you.
