Hearing Loss

About hearing loss

It is important to remember that hearing loss is a health care problem.
Furthermore, hearing loss is a physical health problem, not a mental health problem. Most often a hearing loss is gradual and painless, in many cases developing so slowly it is barely noticeable.

Recognizing a hearing loss in yourself or someone you know is the first step toward improving the situation. Often, among the first sounds which "disappear" are those in the higher frequencies, that is, those which are most high-pitched. From the listener's point of view these sounds include:

• women's and children's voices
• birds' singing

Other symptoms of hearing loss include:

• Difficulty hearing in public gatherings - concert halls, theaters, houses of worship - where sound sources are far from the listener.
• Difficulty hearing television and/or on the telephone.
• Difficulty understanding conversation within a group of people.

If a hearing loss is suspected, an appointment with a hearing health care professional should by made for the purposes of testing and evaluation.

These services are available from the professionals: Audiologist Dale Lalone.

Your ability to hear is as unique as your fingerprint. No two people have exactly the same hearing impairment. Work-place noise, inherited medical conditions, childhood and adult illness all combine to produce different types of hearing loss in different people.

Types of hearing loss

There are three types of hearing loss:

Conductive hearing loss, produced by injury to, or problems with, the bones, eardrum and membranes which carry sound from the external ear through the middle ear to the inner ear.

Sensorineural hearing loss (also known as nerve deafness), one in which all the mechanisms listed above are intact but a deterioration of the inner ear is present. This may be caused by the natural aging process, or degeneration of the nerves leading from the inner ear to the brain.

Mixed hearing loss, one which contains elements from both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

Approximately 10% of all hearing losses may be helped medically. Thanks to today's various technological advances, it is likely the remaining 90% may be helped with hearing aids.

How the Ear Works

The ear has three major parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear (See Figure 1). The outer ear is the part that can be seen and includes the ear canal. The middle ear includes the eardrum (also known as the tympanic membrane), the three bones (ossicles) of the middle ear, and the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube leads to the throat and helps equalize pressure in the middle ear. The inner ear includes the cochlea and the semi-circular canals. The cochlea looks like a snail shell. Inside the cochlea are sensory cells (hair cells) that respond to sound and send nerve signals to the brain. The semi-circular canals are the balance organ.

About hearing instruments

Different models of hearing instruments are available for different types of hearing loss:

In-the-ear (ITC), in-the-canal (ITC) and Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) aids are custom designed to fit the wearer's ear. Inconspicuous once in place, they fit comfortably and securely inside the ear or ear canal, in order to most closely imitate the natural hearing process. These one-piece models have no cords or wires. Nearly 80% of all aids recommended today in North America are either ITE, ITC or CIC models.

Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids fit comfortably behind-the-ear and are attached to a custom earmold. Many can be modified with connections to external sound sources such as auditory training equipment, infrared listening systems or television.

Digitally programmable (computerized) hearing aids boast today's most advanced technology. These aids are available in ITC, ITE and BTE models.

Siemens programmable aids are more flexible than conventional hearing aids because they can be precisely programmed to match each individual's hearing loss, and they can be reprogrammed right in your hearing health care professional's office. Some programmable aids have multiple memory settings so with the push of a button you can alter the sound of your hearing aid and adjust to any listening environment such as an office setting, a restaurant, or a quiet walk in the park.

Eyeglass instruments are still available, however, they have been largely replaced by ITE models.

Because hearing instruments amplify all sounds, the wearer must learn to once again filter out unwanted sounds, just as one does in the normal hearing process. Patience is important in the early stages. Remember that just as hearing loss is usually gradual, it may take time to get used to the sounds hearing aids bring back. The wearer soon begins to respond to the aids and regains a more natural ability to perceive both the direction and meaning of sounds.

Selecting a hearing instrument

Selection of the correct hearing instrument should be made only by a hearing health care professional like Dale Lalone. Once an instrument has been selected, the hearing health care professional can review the audiometric evaluation information and make any final adjustment of the aid's controls to suit your particular needs.

The need for one or two aids is also determined by the hearing health care professional. If a hearing loss occurs in both ears, the hearing health care professional will consider whether a binaural fitting (two hearing aids) will be beneficial.