If you have difficulties to hear someone talking to you in a noisy environment or if you ask people to repeat themselves, then you do have hearing loss. Some hearing losses can be treated with medical or surgical means. A thorough test of your hearing is the logical first step towards getting hearing help in order to know the type and the degree of your hearing loss.

We have three kinds of hearing loss: Conductive hearing loss: problems in the outer or middle ear, which are caused by blockage of the sound in the canal or by mechanical restriction of the bony. Sensori-neural hearing loss: it is due to problems in the cochlea or to its connecting nerves. Mixed hearing loss: it is due to both conductive and sensori-neural hearing losses.

There are many possible causes of hearing loss. They include:
Genetics
Problems during pregnancy
Problems during childbirth
Childhood diseases
Trauma due to noise
Trauma to the head
Infection
Meniere’s Disease
Tumors
Otosclerosis
Aging
Physical blockage

Objective tests: the patient doesn’t intervene in the results.
Tympanometry, Stapedius Reflex, ABR (Auditory Brain Response), OAE (Oto-acoustic emission)Subjective tests: the patient answers to the signals given by the operator.
(Behavioral audiometry, conventional audiometric test tone and speech)

We have two kinds of hearing aids: analogue or digital. Each differs in the technology process of analyzing sound. Most new hearing aids these days are digital. Some digital hearing aids have more useful features than others. You shouldn’t buy a hearing aid just because it is digital without checking what it can do to help you. In addition, do remember that ‘digital’ does not necessarily mean “Smaller in-the-ear” or “Work automatically” to take your place to decide what to hear. Analogue or digital hearing aid must be programmed but the digital one has more possibility and flexibility of programming and its sound is clearer.

There are four primary styles of hearing aids:

1. BTE: Behind-The- Ear.
2. ITE: In-The-Ear.
3. ITC: In-The-Canal.
4. CIC: Completely-In-The-Canal.A- Physical factors include: The shape of your outer ear. The ear canal size and shape. Manual dexterity of the patient. Wax in the ear. Draining ears or otherwise ears having medical problems may not be able to safely utilize hearing aids that completely block the ear canal.

When wearing hearing aids, hearing aid users might expect that: Their hearing in quiet environments (one to one communication, watching TV, etc.) and in moderate background noise should be improved. Their hearing in background noise is NOT going to be as good as your hearing in quiet. Their hearing in loud background noise should be NO WORSE than without the hearing aids. Soft speech should be audible, average speech should be comfortable; loud speech should be loud, but never uncomfortable. Their earmolds should be comfortable. Their own voice should be “acceptable” to them. There should be no feedback when the hearing aids are properly seated in your ears. They may hear sounds they have not heard for a while (like footsteps or the refrigerator humming). This is not abnormal. Hearing aid users are to be patient; their listening skills are to improve gradually as they become accustomed to amplification. Hearing aids WILL NOT restore your hearing capabilities to “normal” or to pre-existing levels.

These whistles, ringing, roaring, hissing or even the sound of “crickets” called “tinnitus” are the reaction of the ears to noise exposure. It often accompanies hearing loss but not always. If it persists, you should urgently call your ENT doctor.

No, you shouldn’t wait. Waiting means avoiding group meetings, social occasions and family gatherings where listening may be difficult or where you may feel embarrassed about misunderstanding what is being said. So, wearing hearing aids in the early stages of hearing loss will make it easier for you to get accustomed to the somewhat changed sound that hearing aids produce and to recapture certain words that have become less distinct as your hearing has deteriorated.

Each person’s experience will vary; hearing aids may allow a person to experience certain sounds they had never heard before (or at least for some time). Relearning takes place in the central auditory nervous system and not in the ear itself. Recent experiments suggest that a listener’s ability to comprehend speech may continue to increase over a period of several months when wearing a new amplification system. This process is termed acclimatization.

This hearing loss is called presbycusis. It is natural due to age and doesn’t mean we will be deaf with age. But we should find a solution and put hearing aids as soon as possible to avoid listening difficulties. Everyone has to test his hearing regularly from his youthful age, and yearly from the age of 60.

Heredity factor of hearing impairment exists, but it is still unknown till we pass the genetics tests able to detect it. Unfortunately, hearing problems are revealed lately. Even if there is or there isn’t a familiar antecedent you should check up your hearing and the one of your children regularly.

Yes. It is always recommended to ask the advice of you doctor before taking any medication especially if you suffer from hearing problems because some antibiotics are ototoxic or harmful to the ear. These drugs destroy the hair cells.

There are four main reasons why binaural (two eared) listening is superior to monaural (one eared) listening. These reasons are: Better Hearing in Noise Improved Signal versus Noise Level from Optimizing Position Improved Localization Ability Possible Deterioration of the Unaided Ear We hear in our brain, not in our ears. The ultimate goal of hearing aids is not just to send sound into the ear. It is also essential to retrain the central auditory system in the brain.

Formerly, the CIC were done for mild to moderate hearing loss. Nowadays with the new technology of digital hearing aids and its feedback management, we can fit the severe hearing loss with a CIC. Its major inconvenient compared with BTE is their connection to another listening device as T-coil or FM system. The major advantage is the cosmetically appearance due to their small size.

Yes it can! Ear wax is formed about one-third of the way into the ear canal. It is supposed to move out of the ear along with skin cells that move off of the ear drum and migrate out of the ear canal. However, sometimes too vigorous cleaning with cotton swab strips away skin oil mad makes the process break down. Blockage can result.

Here are a few don’ts, first: Don’t use a bobby pin, cotton swab, the corner of a napkin or your pinkie finger to remove ear wax. In fact, you shouldn’t have to clean your ears at all. A small amount of wax is normal. It’s supposed to be there. If you want to clean your ears, use a wash cloth but limit your scrubbing to the outer ear. Never insert anything into the ear canal. You’re not helping the situation and you’re definitely not improving ear health.

1. Make sure that your face and mouth are clearly visible. Do not eat, chew, or smoke while talking.
2. Move away from background noise, or turn off background TV, radio, running water.
3. Speak within a few feet of the listener.
4. Keep your sense of humor.
5. Don’t laugh if the hearing impaired has misunderstood the message but explain him the comic of the situation.
6. Stay calm and repeat the message as many times as necessary.
7. Don’t focus on the hearing aid.
8. Don’t focus on the hearing impaired during the conversation, nor avoid him, but make sure that he has understood the message.
9. Speak slowly at a normal loudness level. Yelling distorts speech sounds.
10. Get the person’s visual attention before you start speaking.
11. Do not exaggerate mouth movements to help with lip reading.
12. Rephrase rather than repeat missed words.
13. Clue the listener in as to the topic or changes in the topic.
14. Encourage the listener to let you know if he/she does not understand.
15. Use facial expressions and gestures.
16. When in doubt, ask the hard of hearing person for suggestions to improve communications.
17. When entering a group in the middle of a conversation, ask one person to sum up the gist of the conversation.
18. When in a communication situation requiring exact information such as directions or sch

1. Don’t hesitate to inform the speaker that you have a hearing loss.
2. Explain to the normal hearing person the best way to communicate with you.
3. Be patient, positive and relaxed.
4. Learn to look for “key words” in sentences in order to follow ideas.
5. Position yourself to take advantage of good lighting.
6. Speak calmly and clearly.
7. Summarize what you did hear so that your communication partner knows what to fill in.
8. At informal gatherings, try to limit the number of people you speak with at one time. One-to one conversations are easier than group conversations.
9. The person with a unilateral hearing loss should keep his or her good ear facing the speaker whenever possible.
10. If possible, avoid rooms with poor acoustics. If meetings are held in such rooms, request that they be transferred to better rooms. Special amplifications such as induction loops, radio-frequency hearing aids, or infrared devices are very useful in such situations.
11. Come early to meetings so you can sit close to the speaker.
12. When going to a movie or play, read the reviews or a summary of the plot in advance.

Limit the amount of time you spend in loud environments. Wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices when involved in a loud activity. Be alert to noise levels in your environment. Protect children and teach them how to protect themselves. Have a medical examination and a hearing test.

Exposure to noise is damaging to hearing. The longer you are exposed to a loud noise, the more damaging it may be. The closer you are to the source of intense noise, the more damaging it is. Some common noise levels: Any exposure to noise above 105 can have an immediate damaging effect, but will vary with individual susceptibility. There is no way to restore life to dead nerve endings; the damage is permanent, so protect yourself with earplugs when necessary.
Examples Intensity (dB) Intensity(dB) Time exposure
Quiet library 50 85 8h
Normal conversation 60 90 2h32′
Vacuum cleaner 75 95 48′
Baby screaming 80 100 15′
Electric blender 90 105 5′
Portable stereo 95 110 1’30”
Rock concerts 120 113 45″
Jet take off 130 > 115 Very dangerous
Shotgun blast 140

Find out if you will be able to change the settings to suit different sound environments. Find out if the aid automatically controls feedback to stop it from whistling. Find out if the aid can reduce some kinds of background noise automatically, so that listening is more comfortable. Find out if it has a directional microphone – this will make it easier for you to hear in noisy places.

The initial cost of buying a hearing aid abroad may be less than in your country, but you may need to see the dispenser several times for fitting adjustments which could be expensive and inconvenient. It is important to check before you buy if your local hearing aid dispenser can refit your hearing aid. Does it have the software and the connection cable? What kind of warranty does it have? What will happen if you need more help or if your hearing aid breaks down once you are back home again? We would advise you to think carefully before buying a hearing aid abroad.

Some hearing aid users report that they feel as if they are in a barrel or experiencing an echo when talking. This is called “the occlusion effect.” This happens because the vibrations are blocked from their usual escape route. Most new users adapt to this effect and it isn’t a problem. However for some, the following steps might help: Keeping the ear as open as possible. Reducing the amount of gain (amplified volume) in the low frequencies. Using an earmold that fits very deeply into the ear canal so that it contacts with the bony rather than the soft cartilaginous portion (to reduce vibration).