Hearing Loss/Hearing Aids - Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

Hearing Loss/Hearing Aids - Dallas/Ft. Worth

Causes of Hearing Loss

Age, heredity, drugs, diseases, or injuries from subjection to loud noises can cause hearing loss. The gradual loss of hearing that occurs as you age (presbycusis) is a common condition. An estimated one-third of Americans older than 65 and one-half of those older than 75 have some degree of hearing impairment. Other factors, such as excessive earwax, can prevent your ears from conducting sounds as well as they should. For more information about hearing loss, consult with your physician or a local audiologist.

Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. There are four general classifications of hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss may be permanent or temporary and is produced by injury to or problems with the bones, eardrum, and membranes that conduct sound from the outer ear through the middle ear to the inner ear. Often this type of hearing loss is medically treatable with medication and/or surgery. Sensori neural hearing loss is the result of problems in the inner ear and/or the main auditory nerve that conducts sound messages to the brain. This is often called 'nerve deafness', which usually affects the ability to understand, particularly in difficult listening situations. Most often, this type of loss is permanent and managed through the use of hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and aural rehabilitation counseling. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of the conductive and sensori neural hearing loss types. Central hearing loss is often seen in elderly persons and is characterized by reduced central auditory processing abilities (difficulty making efficient use of the sounds we hear). A person with a central hearing loss may have trouble understanding speech even if their hearing is within the normal range,

Determining Hearing Loss

Determining the proper treatment for your hearing loss requires thorough testing by an audiologist and/or a consultation with your physician. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that you have your ears examined by a licensed physician. Ear examinations are universally recommended by the medical community to ensure there are no underlying diseases or medical problems causing the hearing loss. A hearing loss may be a symptom of another medical problem that needs a doctor's attention. The cause and severity of hearing loss varies widely from person to person. A battery of tests is normally done with the use of sophisticated audiometric instruments. The usual tests involve the use of pure tones presented through earphones, tones presented with a bone oscillator, and speech discrimination tests with earphones. These tests can be complicated and should be done by an audiologist or trained specialist, who is able to determine the type and severity of the hearing loss, as well as provide appropriate referrals if needed.

What is an Audiologist?

An audiologist is a hearing health care professional who has graduate level university training and certification in the evaluation and non medical treatment of hearing, balance, auditory processing, and related disorders. Audiologists assess the nature, extent and effect of all types of problems related to auditory system function. Audiologists recommend and provide non medical treatment, which may include amplification (hearing aids or other assistive listening devices) and aural rehabilitation programs. Commonly, audiologists coordinate your care with your physician, providing appropriate medical referrals and discussion of test results and treatment recommendations.

Hearing Loss and Older Adults

Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Hearing problems can make it difficult to enjoy talking with friends and family. The psychological effects of hearing loss can include denial, social withdrawal, frustration, and anger. The person with a hearing impairment may have trouble understanding a doctor's advice, responding to warnings, or hear doorbells and alarms. Hearing loss can be frustrating, embarrassing and even dangerous.

Do I Have a hearing Problem?

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer 'yes' to 3 or more of the questions you could have a hearing problem and should consult with your doctor or an audiologist about getting a hearing evaluation.

• Do I have a problem hearing on the phone?
• Do I have trouble hearing when there is noise in the background?
• Is it hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once?
• Do I have to strain to understand a conversation?
• Do many people I talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?
• Do I misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
• Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?
• Do I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
• Do people complain that I turn the TV volume up to high?
• Do I hear a ringing, roaring or hissing sound in my ears a lot?
• Do some sounds seem too loud?

Hearing Aids

More then 28 million Americans suffer from some type of hearing impairment. Fortunately, many of these people can benefit from the use of a hearing instrument. Today's hearing instruments are smaller and more technologically advanced than those of even a few years ago. A properly selected hearing aid can be very unobtrusive, especially if it helps with communication well with family and loved ones.

Technology Options for Hearing Aids

There are several types of hearing aid instrument technology currently available. The audiologist discusses what choices are available, and helps select what would provide the most benefit in any particular situation. Then a laboratory builds the hearing aid to meet those specifications. There is a lot of flexibility, so that the audiologist can make additional adjustments and fine tune the instrument until it performs at it's best. The audiologist can use a computer to custom program the hearing aid for the wearer. In this way, the hearing aid can respond to changes in several different types of listening environments. An audiologist can explain the technology and the benefits of each type of instrument to you in detail.

Hearing Aid Styles

There are 5 basic style hearing aids.

• In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids fit completely in the outer ear and are used for mild to severe hearing loss. The case, which holds the components, is made of hard acrylic.
• In-The-Canal (ITC) hearing aids fit into the ear canal. They are customized to fit the size and shape of the ear canal and are used for mild to moderately severe hearing loss.
• Completely - In - the- Canal hearing aids are largely concealed in the ear canal and are used for mild to moderate hearing loss.
• Open Ear instruments have a small device that sits over the back of your ear, and a small tube delivers the sound into your ear canal.
• Behind-the-Ear Hearing aids are worn behind the ear and are connected to a plastic ear mold that fits inside the outer ear. It is generally used for more severe hearing losses.

Surgical Restoration of Hearing

Research is ongoing to restore hearing through different surgical procedures. One of the procedures that have been a success is the cochlear implant, which is usually a choice if a hearing loss is too severe for a hearing aid to help. During that procedure, electrodes are implanted in the inner ear to bypass the damaged part of the ear and stimulate the auditory nerve. The operation has been performed successfully on children and adults. The implant does not allow people to hear as if they had no hearing problems, but it does help the person to distinguish different sounds and voices. For more information this surgical technique or other new surgical developments, please contact a physician in your area.

Aural Rehabilitation

Although hearing aids are certainly the most important first step in helping someone with hearing loss, it is not the only step. Aural rehabilitation is an integral part of the hearing aid process which focuses on how to get the maximum benefits of improved communication with your hearing aid. Even with hearing aids, people can continue to run into some listening difficulties. An aural rehabilitation program can include:

• Instruction in the care of maintenance of hearing aids and other assistive listening devices
• Working with you to assess the benefit provided by your hearing aids, both in the controlled environment of the test room and during your daily activities at home, work, or at school
• Helping you learn how to handle communications breakdowns with the most success
• Speech reading instruction
• Showing you how your hearing loss will affect speech and other sounds
• Teaching you how to hear better in 'less than ideal' listening environments, like noisy restaurants

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a noise in the ears or head, frequently described as ringing, buzzing, humming, or hissing sounds. The conditions may or may not be accompanied by hearing loss. According to the American Tinnitus Association, approximately 50 million Americans experience Tinnitus. However, for 12 million of these cases, tinnitus can have debilitating effects. Some common effects include difficulty sleeping and concentrating, which in turn can affect work as well as recreational and social activities. Tinnitus can be a symptom of hearing loss or other health problems, and is often relieved by the use of hearing instruments or tinnitus maskers. Please consult an audiologist, or an ear doctor for more information about tinnitus.

Everyone that is over 50, and anyone that feels like their hearing is not as good as it used to be, should have a hearing evaluation done. When you call for an appointment for a hearing evaluation, ask to receive a copy of the test results for your own records. That way, you can compare your hearing level in a year or two, to determine if your hearing is changing.

This educational content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, home improvement or health advice. Content on this page is provided by Ask The Experts and not the featured advertiser.

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