Cochlear synaptopathy, or "hidden hearing loss," represents a significant challenge in auditory science. This condition, characterized by the loss of synapses between inner hair cells and auditory nerve fibers, does not affect pure-tone hearing thresholds, rendering it undetectable by standard audiometry. This presentation will feature an interactive discussion between two researchers —one in human auditory neuroscience and one specialized in animal models, who also works as a hearing-care professional—on the quest to assess cochlear synaptopathy in living humans. It will briefly review the seminal discoveries in animal models that unveiled this pathology and discuss the current understanding of how it disrupts neural coding within the auditory system. The presentation will then evaluate current neurophysiological approaches (e.g., ABR, MEMR, EFR) used in both animal and human research to identify sensitive biomarkers. A central challenge it will address is the difficulty in quantifying the impact of synaptopathy on auditory perception, particularly its contribution to the deficits in speech understanding that emerge in challenging listening situations. It will conclude by discussing why the future of hearing healthcare hinges on the development and clinical translation of novel diagnostic tools capable of assessing supra-threshold auditory deficits like cochlear synaptopathy, ultimately paving the way for early intervention and personalized treatment strategies.