You Might
Need A Hearing Aid If:
-
people say you're shouting when you talk to them
-
you need the TV or radio turned up louder than other
people do
-
you often have to ask people to repeat what they say
because you can't quite hear them, especially in groups or when there is
background noise
-
you can't hear a noise if you're not facing the
direction it's coming from
-
you seem to hear better out of one ear than the other
-
you have to strain to hear
-
you keep hearing a hissing or ringing background noise
-
you can't hear a dripping faucet or the high notes of a
violin.
If you have any of these symptoms, see your
doctor or hearing health-care professional so you can be tested for hearing
loss.
- Hearing Tests and
Treatments
- To find out what kind of hearing loss you have and whether
all the parts of your ear are working OK, your doctor may want you to
take a hearing test. These tests are often given by a health-care
professional that specializes in hearing, such as an audiologist.
Audiologists are usually not medical doctors but are trained to give
hearing tests and interpret the results. Hearing tests are painless.
If the hearing test shows that you have a
hearing loss, there may be one or more ways to treat it. Possible treatments
include medication, surgery or a hearing aid.
Hearing aids can usually help hearing loss that
involves damage to the inner ear. This type of hearing loss is common in
older people as part of the aging process. But younger people can also have
it from infections or repeated exposure to loud noises.
- Hearing Aids and Cell
Phones
- Cell phones and hearing aids don't work very well
together, so you may not be able to use a cell phone while you're
wearing a hearing aid. This is because electromagnetic interference
between the phone and the hearing aid causes buzzing or static.
Scientists are trying to find out more about this problem and what can
be done about it.
- Types of Hearing Aids
- All hearing aids have these parts:
-
a microphone, to pick up sound
-
an amplifier, to make sound louder
-
a speaker, to bring sound to the ear
-
a battery.
Some people only need a hearing aid for one
ear. Other people need one for each ear. If you need a hearing aid, your
doctor will know whether you need one or two.
Here are some of the most common types of
hearing aids:
- Behind-the-Ear: This
kind of hearing aid fits behind the ear and carries sound to the ear
through a custom ear mold. Hearing aids that are attached to eyeglasses
are a type of behind-the-ear hearing aid. They are useful for mild to
severe hearing loss.
- In-the-Ear: These are
custom-made to fit in the outer ear. You can't see any wires because
they are inside the aid. They are useful for mild to moderate hearing
loss.
- In-the-Ear-Canal: This
kind of hearing aid is custom-made to fit in the ear canal. There are no
outside wires or tubes. These hearing aids are almost impossible to see.
They help people with all but the worst hearing loss.
- On-the-Body: These are
for very bad hearing loss. They include a case with a larger microphone,
amplifier and battery. The case can be carried in pockets or attached to
clothing. The case is connected by a wire to an ear receiver that is
attached to an ear mold.
- Cochlear Implants
- You may have heard about a device to help hearing that is
implanted behind the ear during surgery. This device is called a
cochlear (pronounced COKE-lee-ur) implant. It is only used for very bad
hearing loss. It gets its name from the medical term for the inner earÑ
the cochlea. A cochlear implant doesn't completely restore hearing but
it helps a person hear sounds and conversations better. The device has
several parts:
-
An electronic device placed in the bone of the skull,
behind the outer ear.
-
Wires and electrodes inserted into the inner ear, or
cochlea.
-
A microphone and transmitter that are worn outside the
body.
If your hearing is very bad, your doctor could
decide if a cochlear implant could help you.
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