Evaluation of occupational hearing loss and presbyacusis using a microcomputer

Occupational noise-induced hearing loss remains a common problem in industry. This report presents a systematic method of patient evaluation and describes software that is capable of calculating hearing handicaps from audiometric data and the proportion of the handicap due to presbyacusis. The software also has the capability of subtracting the effects of presbyacusis from the current audiometric thresholds and to estimate hearing thresholds at any future age of the patient. Four patients are presented that illustrate the utility of this type of computer analysis.