This is the most common way we describe hearing loss. Very simplistically stated, it refers to the amount of difficulty the person is likely to experience with normal volume levels of sounds, particularly speech sounds.

Mild hearing loss

The person may only have occasional hearing difficulty, particularly with softer sounds, soft conversational speech, or hearing from a distance.

Moderate hearing loss

Someone with a moderate hearing impairment may only hear adequately well when the sound source is nearby (within 3-5 feet) and the volume is a little louder than normal. Adverse listening conditions such as distance and background noise increase the hearing difficulty significantly.

Moderately-severe hearing loss

Average level speech sounds become difficult, if not impossible, to understand even in a quiet setting. Loss of visual cues, as when the speaker's back is turned, may result in total loss of ability to track conversational speech.

Severe hearing loss

A person with a severe loss can only perceive loud sounds. Shouted speech may be heard from a close distance.

Profound hearing loss

This describes someone with no functional hearing ability, what we often refer to as "deafness".