Hearing Problems

If you can identify with one of the following then we can help YOU!

• Do You Have Difficulty Hearing in Noisy Situations?
• Do You Hear People Speaking But Have Difficulty Understanding the Words
• Do You Have Difficulty Understanding on the Phone?
• Do You Have To Turn Up the Television and Radio So It's Too Loud For Others?
• Haven't Had a Hearing Test in Over a Year?

What You Should Know

• Hearing loss developed later in life, comes on slowly, is permanent, and often gets gradually worse.
• Most of these losses can be helped effectively by individually selected prescribed and fitted hearing aids.
• Some adults can have their hearing corrected by an ENT surgeon, so it is important to have an evaluation to make this determination.

It is typical for individuals with a mild to moderate hearing loss to be unaware of their problem, even though family and friends are quite aware of it.

Most hearing professionals believe that hearing loss in older adults is the accumulation of two or more causes, such as exposure to loud noises and family history or simply the natural aging process.

Hearing loss is invisible and almost always painless. There are no physical warning signs, except in some cases there may be ringing in the ear(s). But the real reason hearing loss "sneaks" up on you is that the change is so gradual. Most hearing losses develop over a period of 25-30 years. By age 50 or 60, there can be enough deterioration to interfere with conversation.

Hearing loss can prevent the quality of life you've hoped for. It can restrict your ability to interact with others, prevent you from hearing important information, cause misunderstandings, heighten stress, cause unnecessary fatigue and filter out the subtle sounds of nature. Don't let poor hearing make you miss out on the many good and vital messages of life.

Hearing loss can be the result of damage to any one of the following sections.

Causes in the outer ear

Typical problems with the outer ear (A) include ear wax plugs and infections of the auditory canal. Usually, addressing these problems is very easy. However it is important to act quickly in order to avoid hearing damage.

Causes in the middle ear

Inflammation, fluid behind the eardrum, perforations of the eardrum and otosclerosis (a stiffening of the bones in the middle ear) are the most common problems to interfere with middle ear (B) function.

Most outer and middle ear problems can be addressed effectively with medication or surgery. If this is not possible, permanent hearing loss can be compensated with a hearing aid in most cases.

Causes in the inner ear

The majority of hearing issues concern the inner ear (C). The most common cause is the natural aging process. But loud noise, taking some types of medication, and skull fractures can also have a negative influence on a person's hearing ability.

These influences damage the fine hair cells and affect the transmission of signals to the auditory nerves. Usually, inner ear hearing loss cannot be addressed medically. However, this type of hearing loss can be corrected with a hearing aid in most cases.

Damage to the inner ear, is called sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss caused by an outer or middle ear defect is called conductive hearing loss. If both types occur together, the condition is called mixed hearing loss.