What is Hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis is a condition that causes a person to be unable to tolerate everyday noise levels without pain. This condition may be initiated by a disease, by an acoustic trauma event (loud noise exposure), or induced by certain drugs. 

Historically it has been referred to as "hypersensitivity of hearing" while some have used the term "decreased sound tolerance" (Jastreboff & Hazell, 2004). One definition given to hyperacusis is "the collapse of loudness tolerance" (J.A. Vernon, 2002). In the book Hyperacusis: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Therapies Dr. Baguley and Professor Andersson use "hyperacusis to describe the experience of inordinate loudness for sound that most people tolerate well, associated with a component of distress."

Jesse's Story

Jesse's hyperacusis was caused by exposure to loud weapons in the military. Now, eight years after the initial onset, Jesse struggles to find ways to do simple things like fishing with his son because even a loud voice can create pain.

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Hearing Health Summit

On October 3, 2011, Bryan Pollard represented Hyperacusis Research at the Summit on Hearing Restoration at the New York Academy of Medicine. This Summit was sponsored by the Hearing Health Foundation (formerly Deafness Research Foundation). It brought together the leaders in the field of cell regeneration research to discuss what needs to be accomplished for therapy for cell regeneration in the ear to become a reality. Learn more about Hearing Health Foundation's ground-breaking Hearing Restoration Project.

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Hyperacusis Research Grant

Hyperacusis Research is pleased to announce our first grant for research. This grant will support the Hearing Health Foundation's research grant for a literature review focused on hyperacusis, recruitment, misophonia, phonophobia, and mechanisms of volume/intensity processing in the auditory pathway.

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