Vertigo is another sign that points towards decreasing hearing ability of a person. Vertigo is a condition wherein the affected person has a sensation of a spinning surrounding. In other words, the person experiences a spinning sensation that makes him feel dizzy and unstable.

Vertigo can again be a result of a neurological problem that is connected with the brain or the ears.

You may find fluid or pus leak from the ear if you are losing your hearing ability. It is not necessary that fluid or pus coming out of ears is a sign of hearing loss, but usually it does lead to the stage where the patient loses his hearing ability partially or completely. So, deterioration of hearing ability along with releasing of pus or/and fluid by the ear can be taken as a strong symptom of hearing loss. Usually, passing of fluid or pus from the ears is the result of an infection or injury in the ear that leads to hearing loss.

Pain in ears, itching inside the ear or irritation in the ear may indicate the problem of hearing loss. Pain in ear may be very severe in certain cases, whereas during itching of the ear the affected person has a tingling sensation inside the ear that urges him to scratch the ear. All these symptoms may result from tinnitus or any ear infection.

Ringing, buzzing, hissing or roaring of the ears are pointers to a hearing problem and may hint towards hearing loss. These sensations occur for a few seconds though, sometimes, they last for more than a few seconds. During these sensations, all other sounds fade until these sensations subside and you regain your normal hearing ability. Ringing, buzzing, etc in the ears may be a result of a neurological problem, i.e., a problem of the nerves in your brain or ears. These can also occur because of tinnitus, which is again a symptom of some underlying disease or problem.

Listening to music or watching television at a higher or more than the required volume also points towards the problem of hearing loss. If you find yourself increasing the volume of your television, radio, music system or any mobile gadget, and are unable to hear properly at a volume that you were comfortable with earlier, then it’s a sign that you are losing your hearing ability.

When one or more of the three sections of the ear (that help us pick up and hear sounds) get damaged, the capability of the ears reduce, due to which normal volume does not seem sufficient or loud enough to be heard by the affected person. Hence, higher volumes are required to hear things.

Difficulty in understanding words or distinguishing particular words that are uttered by others is another prominent sign of hearing loss. In such a condition, the affected person is able to hear the sounds and also understands that words are being uttered but is unable to make out the exact words. The problem can be clearly noted if there are other voices, sound or noise in the background. If this symptom persists, then the person often finds himself frequently asking others to repeat themselves or asks them to speak with more clarity or more loudly and slowly. The affected person may also start avoiding social gatherings just to avoid this problem, and may often want to or would withdraw himself from conversations. This difficulty occurs when the tiny hair cells in the inner ear get damaged and can’t transmit sounds to the brain any more. Thus, speech within a conversation becomes muffled. This kind of damage is often the result of exposure to loud music, noise or sounds.

Muffled hearing may be one of the first and noticeable signs of hearing loss. Muffled hearing can be described as hearing sounds that seem to be heard from under wraps. So, when you hear sounds and feel that there is a layer or cover on your ear which is blocking the sound from entering your ears directly, or for which the sound is not very clear, you know you are experiencing muffled hearing. Muffled hearing can be the result of an infection in the outer, inner or middle ear. It may also be due to a head injury or head trauma.