How Do I Know If I Have A Hearing Loss? -
Where Can I Get My Hearing Tested? -
How Do I Find An “Advice Preferred” Professional? -
What Happens During A Hearing Test? -
Are There Medical Treatments For Hearing Loss? -
Can I Prevent My Hearing Loss From Getting Worse? -
What Is A Hearing Aid? -
What Are the Most Important Features on Hearing Aids? -
What is the Best Hearing Aid? -
Do I Really Need Two Hearing Aids? Can I Get By With Just One? -
Should I Wear My Hearing Aids All Day? -
What Is That Ringing In My Ears (Tinnitus) And What Causes It? -
How Do I Know If I Have A Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss is a common condition and it is estimated that more than 33 million people suffer from it in the United States alone. We live in a noisy world and the wear and tear on your ears from noise and other sounds contributes to hearing loss by damaging the nerves in your inner ear. The main factors that contribute to hearing loss are genetics, aging and exposure to loud noises. Other factors, such as earwax blockage, can prevent your ears from hearing sounds as well as they should. Unfortunately, we can't reverse hearing loss resulting from nerve damage. Some of the signs that you might have a hearing loss include:
• You complain that people sound like they are mumbling or speaking too softly
• Difficulty understanding what people are saying especially in noisy situations like restaurants
• Frequently asking people to “speak up,” “speak more clearly,” or to repeat themselves
• Needing to turn up the volume of the television or radio
• Withdrawal from conversations
• Avoidance of certain social settings
When we lose the ability to hear clearly, our lives become less vibrant. Every part of your life is connected to sound. Our world is filled with verbal communication. Your friendships, family relationships, music, television, radio and work—all these things involve hearing and being heard. Hearing loss often causes us to become isolated from life and loved ones and is a major contributor to depression.
The Advice Preferred professional in your area can help you find the latest, most advanced hearing aids available today that are the best for your hearing loss and your lifestyle. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator tool which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen. You can also visit our forums by clicking on “Hearing Aid Forum and News” at the top of this page and chat with other patients and professionals around the world.
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Where Can I Get My Hearing Tested?
A hearing test should be performed by a trained and properly licensed professional, either an Audiologist or a Hearing Instrument Specialist. These professionals are trained to determine whether you should seek further medical help from a physician, and state laws require they refer you to a physician when needed. The FDA recommends a medical evaluation prior to purchasing a hearing aid, but you may sign a waiver if you do not wish to see a physician. While there are others that may legally conduct a test when supervised by a physician, only these two professionals are trained to test and evaluate hearing for the purpose of fitting a hearing aid.
Audiologists, a doctorate level profession, are also trained to conduct and interpret many other tests such VNGs and ABR, as well as provide treatment for Balance Disorders, Tinnitus and Auditory Processing Disorders. If you think you may have hearing loss, speak to an Advice Preferred Professional in your area. You can also visit our forums by clicking on “Hearing Aid Forum and News” towards the top of this page and chat with other patients and professionals around the world. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator tool which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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How Do I Find An “Advice Preferred” Professional?
It is easy to find a preferred professional in your area through our website! Just simply type your zip code into our office locator and you will find a list of preferred hearing professionals in your area. The office locator is on the left side of every page of our website where it says "Find Hearing Professional." You can see what other patients have said about that office and find an office that fits your needs and time schedule. You can also communicate with other patients and professionals from around the world in our forums. To access the forum, simply click on the button at the top of this website that says "Hearing Aid Forum & News."
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What Happens During A Hearing Test?
A hearing test is designed to evaluate whether you have hearing loss, how severe the loss is, and what type of hearing loss you may have. The typical hearing test consists of the following:
1) The professional will first ask you a series of background questions designed to determine your lifestyle needs and whether there is a need to send you to a physician prior to testing.
2) Next they will inspect your ears for wax or other problems.
3) You will be placed in a sound treated room to prevent the room noise from affecting the results of your test.
4) The professional will give you instructions on how to respond to the beeps that you will hear during the test. Usually you press a hand held button or raise your hand.
5) A pair of headphones will be place on your ears and the professional will exit the sound booth.
6) You will then be asked to repeat a series of two syllable words, called spondees. The words will be presented first at a level that is easy to hear and then at softer levels. This is to determine your Speech Reception Threshold (SRT), the softest level at which you can hear and repeat the words back correctly.
7) Next, you will be presented a series of beeps. You will need to press the response button when you hear them or raise your hand. The beeps will get softer until you are unable to hear them. The hearing professional will do this several times at each frequency to find the softest level at which you can hear the beeps. This is the main test to determine if you have a hearing loss.
8) Another device, called a bone oscillator, will be placed behind your ear on the bone. You will again be given beeps as before and asked to respond by pressing the button. This test is used to determine what kind of hearing loss you have, conductive, nerve loss, or mixed.
9) Finally, the headphones will be placed back on your ears and you will be asked to repeat a series of single syllable words. These will be presented at a level that you have determined is comfortably loud.
This is a crucial test to determine how well you may do with hearing aids. The percentage of words correct provides us with information that tells us how well you can understand with the sound amplified to a comfortable level. This is called your Word or Speech Discrimination score. The less words you understand, the less benefit a hearing aid will be for you.
There are other tests that may be performed as well, but this is what is needed to evaluate whether you are a candidate for hearing aids. A hearing test should be performed by a trained and properly licensed professional, either an Audiologist or a Hearing Instrument Specialist. The FDA recommends a medical evaluation prior to purchasing a hearing aid, but you may sign a waiver if you do not wish to see a physician. While there are others that may legally conduct a test when supervised by a physician, only these two professionals are trained to test and evaluate hearing for the purpose of fitting a hearing aid.
Audiologists are also trained to conduct and interpret many other tests such VNGs and ABR, as well as provide treatment for Balance Disorders, Tinnitus and Auditory Processing Disorders. If you think you may have hearing loss, speak to an Advice Preferred Professional in your area. You can also visit our forums by clicking on “Hearing Aid Forum and News” at the top of this page and chat with other patients and professionals around the world. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator tool which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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Are There Medical Treatments For Hearing Loss?
There are medical treatments available for some types of hearing loss. As a general rule, only hearing losses that are conductive can be treated through surgery and medications. Conductive hearing losses are caused by a breakdown in the physical chain of sound transfer in your ear, not nerve damage. Conductive hearing losses include middle ear infections, ruptured eardrums, infections in the mastoid cavity, and otosclerosis (deterioration of the bones in the middle ear) among others. In rare cases and when treated promptly, a sudden nerve loss may be treated and the hearing loss recovered through the use of steroids. However, with most cases of hearing loss due to nerve damage, it is not possible to treat the hearing loss by any other means than a hearing aid.
The best way to find out if you have hearing loss, and what type, is to have a hearing evaluation by an Audiologist or Hearing Aid Specialist. They can tell you if you need to be referred to a physician for further medical evaluation. For help with a conductive hearing loss or with a nerve damage hearing loss, please type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" box towards the top left hand side of this page. You can also go to our Forums by clicking on "Hearing Aid Forum and News" at the top of the page.
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Can I Prevent My Hearing Loss From Getting Worse?
Hearing loss usually will worsen gradually as we get older, but everyone is different. In many cases, hearing loss remains unchanged for several years. Noise is a leading cause of hearing loss, and hearing loss from noise exposure is usually preventable. Both the level of the noise and the length of time you’re exposed to it determine if a noise will cause damage to your hearing. A good rule of thumb – if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone standing three feet away, the noise around you could be damaging.
Audiologists and Hearing Instrument Specialists can advise you on your best solutions for ear protection. In addition to protecting your hearing from noise, be sure to have your hearing tested on a regular basis, and ask the professional to compare exams to determine if your hearing loss is worsening. If a significant change is noted, a referral to a medical professional (otologist or otolaryngologist) for an evaluation may be indicated. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator box which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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What Is A Hearing Aid?
A Hearing Aid is a electronic device that enhances your hearing so that you can hear life to the fullest! Although hearing aids can never restore normal hearing, they can dramatically improve your quality of life, giving back much what the hearing loss has taken away and significantly reducing stress in your life. Hearing aids are made with four primary components; a battery for power, microphone, amplifier, and receiver (speaker).
Sound is picked up by the microphone and sent to the amplifier, where it is increased according to your hearing needs. The amplifier then sends the signal to the receiver, which sends the amplified sound into the ear. Today’s digital hearing aids are more complex, but still perform the same basic function of amplifying sound. The difference is in the digital processor contained in the amplifier portion of the hearing aid. These are actually mini computers and are capable of performing many complex functions at amazing speeds.
There are several styles of hearing aids available, including behind-the-ear ( BTE ), in-the-ear ( ITE ), in-the-canal ( ITC ), and completely-in-the-canal ( CIC ). BTE hearing aids rest behind your ear and have an ear mold connected to them to deliver the sound to the ear. ITE, ITC, and CIC hearing aids fit in the ear. The ITE fills your ear completely, the ITC fills about half the bowl of your ear, and the CIC is in the ear canal with the faceplate at the opening.
The main benefit of digital hearing aids is providing clearer sound quality compared to earlier analog products. Digital processors use filters to clean up the sound before it sends it to the hearing aids receiver. Many digital hearing aids have microphone noise reduction and environmental noise reduction systems that reduce these unwanted sounds before the sound is sent to the receiver. The end result is clearer, more comfortable sound. Noise reduction systems vary in their effectiveness, with the most effective found in the latest (and most expensive) technology. Digital hearing aids are usually computer programmable. This means we can change the settings on your hearing aids in the office so you do not have to be without your hearing aids. It also means we can be much more precise in fitting your loss than ever before.
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What Are the Most Important Features on Hearing Aids?
Digital hearing aids allow us to control a variety of functions and there are few problems that cannot be fixed through proper programming. One of the most useful additions you can get on your digital hearing aids is a Directional Microphone System. These reduce the amplification of sound from behind coming into the hearing aids. When you enter a noisy place such as restaurants, parties, or sporting events, you just push a button on the hearing aids and activate the Directional Microphone System. The hearing aids will beep to let you know the settings have been changed. Sounds coming from behind will be amplified less than sounds from the front, making it easier to hear in front of you. Some directional microphones are adaptive, which means the hearing aids will follow loud sounds behind you even if they are moving. The most advanced directional microphones are capable of reducing several sound sources at the same time. Directional microphones can be activated automatically or manually, or both, depending on the hearing aids. Directional microphones are available on ITC hearing aids and larger models, but their benefit far outweighs the problem of size. Remember, the only people that really notice hearing aids are those that wear them, and those that work with them. So don't let the fear of others seeing your hearing aids prevent you from getting the best technology to help you hear better!
Another important feature found in many digital hearing aids is Feedback Cancellation. There are several types of feedback cancellation on the market today and some work better than others. How it works can get complicated, so we will keep it simple. Feedback, that terrible high pitch squeal, occurs when amplified sound from the receiver loops back to the microphone and is amplified again. Think of the person at church or in a meeting whose hearing aid keeps squealing.
Feedback can happen for a several reasons. Hearing aid wearers often experience feedback when they put their hand or a phone near their ear, or when they hug someone. This is because they are blocking the sound that comes out of the vent (an air hole in the aid for pressure relief) and sending it back to the microphone.
A hearing aid that does not fit properly, a component that is faulty, or a hearing aid that is not properly adjusted can all result in feedback problems. This is why it is so important to work with a trained professional that knows what they are doing. Earwax in the ear canal will also cause feedback, because the sound will bounce off the wax and come back out of the ear. Feedback is often our first clue that the physical fit is bad, the adjustments are wrong, a component has failed, or the ear canal is blocked with wax.
Feedback cancellation products were developed to help with the problem associated with telephones, wearing hats, hugs, combing hair, etc. They are not meant to stop feedback as a result of a poor fit, adjustment, wax in the ear, or component failure. Most current feedback cancellation systems in use today will control the feedback either before it happens, or within seconds of its occurrence. How they do it is not as important as the fact that they do work. Because feedback is so highly annoying we strongly recommend purchasing hearing aids that have feedback cancellation.
There are also several user activated controls available on hearing aids. Volume controls, so you may manually adjust the loudness of your hearing aid, are a great feature. As fancy as they are, no hearing aid can adjust its volume for you perfectly every time! Push buttons are used when the hearing aid has multiple memories available for different listening situations. The wearer simply pushes the button and the hearing aid changes to another setting. This may activate the directional microphones to reduce noise from behind, the telecoil for talking on the phone, or different levels of noise management designed to enhance your listening experience. Some products are available with remote controls to change the hearing aid settings without reaching up to the hearing aid, or if your hearing aids don't have manual controls.
There are a lot of choices to make when deciding on the right hearing aid for you. Because we are all so uniquely different, it’s very hard to know what will work best for you until you try it. That’s why you should meet with a trained Advice Preferred Audiologist or Hearing Aid Specialist to help you through the decision making process. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator box which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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What is the Best Hearing Aid?
The best hearing aid is the one that meets your hearing needs, is as cosmetically pleasing as possible, and fits within your budget. In short, the one that works for you. That can mean many different things for many people. Is there one hearing aid that is overall best for everyone? No! We are unique individuals with different likes and dislikes. The music one person loves another hates. The same is true with clothing, cars, food, even vacation destinations! So is it any wonder why there are so many different hearing aids and opinions about them?
That is why the hearing aid industry allows for trial periods. You can try the hearing aids out, and if they are not right for you, return them. But don't give up there. Try something different! Often something as simple as a style change or a different manufacturer will lead you to the hearing aid best suited for you. Make sure that you know exactly how much it will cost you to return completely. Don't buy more hearing aid than you really need either. Just because something is more advanced doesn't mean it will benefit you more than a less expensive hearing aid. Try the less advanced products first and see how well you do. If you need more help, you can always upgrade to a more advanced product.
How do you know it is the best hearing aid for you? You should have noticeable improvement in the situations where you were struggling before. Your hearing aids should also be comfortable to wear and use. One big word of caution though: HEARING AIDS CANNOT RESTORE NORMAL HEARING! Hearing aids are only aids – not hearing replacements and they certainly can't make you hear better than people with normal hearing. Make sure your expectations are reasonable. A hearing aid probably will not help much in a room full of people all talking loudly at the same time. Even normal hearing people have difficulty in situations like that.
If you think you may have hearing loss, speak to an Advice Preferred Professional in your area. You can also visit our forums by clicking on “Hearing Aid Forum and News” at the top of this page and chat with other patients and professionals around the world. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator box which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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Do I Really Need Two Hearing Aids? Can I Get By With Just One?
It primarily depends on your hearing loss whether you should wear one or two hearing aids. Your brain understands sound best when both ears are working correctly. They work together to separate speech so you can focus on the desired sound and to help you know where you are in a room in relation to the sounds around you. That is how we are able to hear and understand in noise. When your ears are not performing normally, it can become difficult to locate sound and understand in noise. When you only wear one hearing aid and need two, most of the sound is heard through only one ear and it makes it hard for your brain to isolate sounds.
According to the Better Hearing Institute, a leading hearing advocacy group, wearing two hearing aids can lead to improved hearing and understanding in noisy situations, at a distance (like in a lecture hall), louder sounds can be made more comfortable, and less powerful hearing aids are needed to compensate for your hearing loss. When your hearing aids need less power they are less likely to feedback (whistle).
Like the old saying goes, “If you don't use it, you will lose it.” If you never exercise , your muscles will weaken. A similar thing can happen in the hearing part of your brain. If you do not actively stimulate the hearing part of your brain at normal levels, you may develop a condition called auditory deprivation. This occurs when the brain is not stimulated by sound and slowly loses its ability to understand sound.
You are born with two ears for a reason and your brain needs input from both ears in order to hear well. So it just makes sense - if you have a hearing loss in both ears, you should wear two hearing aids.
If you think you may have hearing loss, speak to an Advice Preferred Professional in your area. You can also visit our forums by clicking on “Hearing Aid Forum and News” at the top of this page and chat with other patients and professionals around the world. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator box which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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Should I Wear My Hearing Aids All Day?
Patients that do well with their hearing aids usually wear their hearing aids for most of the day. That's because your brain has to become accustomed to hearing sounds again. If you only wear your hearing aids sporadically, your brain will not adapt. At first, things will sound louder. Over the course of a few weeks, you will become accustomed to sound again.
There are some situations, however, where you should not wear your hearing aids. Some hearing aid models are very water-resistant, but it's not a good idea to swim or take a shower with them. Hearing aids are sensitive electronic devices that were not designed to perform well in water. During periods of high physical activity you may sweat profusely and it is a good idea to take them off. You also should take them off at night. Be sure to open the battery compartment. This makes certain that your battery will not drain while you are sleeping and allows moisture that may have accumulated in the hearing aid battery compartment to dry out during the night.
You should wear your hearing aids even when you are alone. Little sounds of life, like footsteps on the floor, clocks ticking, or sounds of birds are also important to hear. This will help you get used to wearing the hearing aids and keeps your brain actively processing sound. Your hearing aids will help reconnect you with the world around you and with the important people in your life.
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What Is That Ringing In My Ears (Tinnitus) And What Causes It?
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound is present. It is often referred to as "ringing in the ears," although some people hear hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping, or clicking. Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom of another underlying condition of the ear, the auditory nerve, or other area in the auditory path. Tinnitus can be intermittent or constant, with single or multiple tones. It's perceived volume can range from very soft to extremely loud.
50 million Americans experience tinnitus to some degree. Of these, about 12 million have tinnitus which is severe enough to seek medical attention. Of those, about two million patients are so seriously affected by their tinnitus that their daily functioning is affected. The exact cause (or causes) of tinnitus is not always known. There are several likely factors which may cause tinnitus, or make existing tinnitus worse: noise-induced hearing loss, wax build-up in the ear canal, certain medications, ear or sinus infections, age-related hearing loss, ear diseases and disorders, jaw misalignment, cardiovascular disease, certain types of tumors, thyroid disorders, head and neck trauma and many others. Of these factors, exposure to loud noises and hearing loss are the most common causes of tinnitus.
Treating a hearing loss, either by medical management, if indicated, or with hearing aids, may offer relief of tinnitus. Other new and effective tinnitus treatments are also available. If you have tinnitus, a comprehensive hearing evaluation by an audiologist, and a medical evaluation by an otologist is recommended. To find hearing professionals in your area, type your zip code into the "Find Hearing Professional" locator tool which is located towards the top left hand side of your screen.
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