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INTERESTING FACTS

By Harvey J. Gardner, Ph.D.


1. About Hearing Loss

 

Common Signs of Hearing Loss

     You have a hearing loss when you...

-    cannot hear conversational speech easily while others can

-    must frequently ask others to repeat what was said

-    complain that people speak less clear­ly than they used to

-    play the TV too loud for the comfort of others

-    frequently miss out on the punch line of jokes

-    answer questions inappropriately pretend to understand
     when you're really unsure

Negative Effects on Relationships

     Hearing loss, at best, creates mutual annoyance; at worst, it causes ongoing conflict and ill will. The hearing impaired person feels that the speaker is mumbling and the speaker is annoyed by the hearing impaired person's constant need for repetition. Quite often, family and friends are frustrated by the hearing impaired person's refusal to go for help.

Major Types of Hearing Loss

     Hearing losses are of two types, sensori-neural (also called "nerve loss") and conductive. Sensori-neural losses involve defects in some percentage of the 15,000 hearing nerves in each ear which lie within the snail shell-like cochlea, deep within the skull. Conductive losses are caused by physical blockage to sound passing through the ear. Most sensori-neural losses are permanent and may result from the aging process, genetic loss of hearing, prolonged exposure to noise, or diseases affecting the hearing nerves. Most conductive losses are temporary and are usually caused by wax blockage, head congestion, or ear infection.

Hearing Loss and Distorted Hearing

     When someone complains that they can hear but cannot understand the words being spoken, their hearing loss is almost always sensori-neural. Distorted hearing arises from damage to the hearing nerves needed to analyze sounds accurately. In the vast majority of cases, sensori-neural hearing losses result in loss of sensitivity to high pitches (sensitivity to low pitches remains, for the most part, intact) thus compromising awareness of the high-pitched elements in speech (especially the consonant sounds s, f, t, th, h, p, k).

Quantity and Quality of Remaining Hearing

     Although a screening test can reveal which pitches can and cannot be heard at a faint listening level, only an in-depth audiometric test can reveal exactly how much hearing remains (quantity) and how undistorted it is (quality). Although we can guess that an individual with a lack of sensitivity for high pitches would have more distorted hearing than one whose loss is in the low range, quality of hearing is best measured by presenting words not tones to the test subject. The measure of hearing quality is called speech discrimination.

Role of Hearing Aids

     Hearing aids are designed to increase the loudness and clarity of speech and other sounds. And, because the degree of hearing loss may vary at each of the pitches important for understanding words clearly, hearing aids must be specially selected and adjusted for each user's unique needs. This explanation is, of course, an over-simplification of the hearing aid fitting process which includes computer programming and verification of adjustments.

Five Minutes a Day to Better Hearing

     No doubt, anyone properly fitted with hearing aids will get immediate benefit because voices are made louder and clearer. But, it is also true that the hearing aid user who decides to learn from his or her mis-perceptions, will get more from their hearing aids especially under adverse listening conditions. The training process, therefore, is simply an organized way of learning to improve one's hearing by becoming aware of one's mis-perceptions. Call 631-271-6263 to reserve your free copy of Five Minutes a Day to Better Hearing, our copyrighted hearing training program.


2. About Hearing & Hearing Aids


How Well Do You Hear?

     In the old days, the "watch tick test" was used by doctors to check hearing. The trusty Hamilton pocket watch was held to your ear and slowly moved away. If you could still hear it after it was 20 inches away, your hearing score was normal, 20/20. A score of 20/10 (you no longer heard it beyond 10 inches) indicated the presence of a hearing deficiency. Nowadays, modern calibrated audiometers test hearing with great accuracy. A “screening test” is very helpful in that it determines whether or not you have a hearing deficiency at one or more of 7 test pitches in each ear. Free hearing screening tests and consultations are offered at the Huntington Hearing & Speech Center. Call toll free 1-877-HEAR AID to arrange for the screening at your convenience.

Lipreading

     It is not only the hearing impaired who depend upon lipreading (now called speech reading). Everybody uses it to improve comprehension, especially under noisy listening conditions. That's why you'll hear someone say, "I'd better put my glasses on so I can hear you better."

Ear Wax

     Ear wax is produced by wax glands in the ear canals. At first, it is a clear liquid but as it dries, its color changes to gold then brown. Normally, when ear wax dries, it crumbles and falls out of the ear canal without assistance. Ear wax does become impacted in a few individuals but rarely causes significant hearing loss although many people want to believe that their hearing will be greatly enhanced if only the ear wax, real or imagined, could be removed. Comprehensive hearing testing can differentiate between a loss caused by ear wax and one caused by some other factor.

Ringing In the Ears

     For most people, ringing in the ears (called "tinnitus" and pronounced either TINNitiss or tinEYEtus) disappears all by itself in less than a minute. But those afflicted with constant, persistent tinnitus, are truly tormented by the unrelenting sound. Interestingly, hearing aids help because they amplify environmental sounds and thus mask the unwanted ear noises.

Is "Nerve Loss" Hopeless?

     In the old days people with "nerve loss" were told that they could not be helped with a hearing aid. That was true until around 1940. In fact, today, the vast majority of successful hearing aid users in the united States (numbering over 3 million) have "nerve loss" which these days is referred to as "sensori-neural hearing loss."

Danger of High Noise Levels

     Tinnitus can be a blessing in disguise as it is often an early warning sign of impending permanent hearing loss, especially when it is triggered by excessive noise. Those most at risk for noise induced hearing loss are: rock musicians, gun shooters, carpenters, printers, and operators of power equipment such as leaf blowers, chain saws and pneumatic hammers. Important tip: use ear protection or make a quick exit whenever painfully loud sound is present. When an emergency vehicle with sirens screaming passes on the street, instruct your children to place their fingers in their ears and you do the same.

Inexpensive "Hearing Aid"

     For those with a mild hearing loss, cupping the hands behind the ears doubles the loudness of the sound heard. Also, sitting in the corner of a room results in the 2 walls funneling the sound to your ears not unlike cupping your hands behind your ears.

What Are Hearing Aids?

     Hearing aids are, in effect, little public address systems consisting of a microphone, amplifier and loudspeaker all powered by an aspirin sized battery that lasts from 1 to 4 weeks. Hearing aids cost as little as $400 or as much as $2,750 each.

Hearing Aid Size

     Although there is no evidence to support this belief, many people feel that the use of a hearing aid is a social liability. That is why there is such a demand for mini hearing aids despite the demonstrated superiority of larger ones. On the other hand, mini hearing aids designed to fit deeply in the ear canal can provide benefits that are unavailable from conventional instruments.

Two Hearing Aids vs. One

     When both ears are candidates for hearing aid use but only one ear is fitted, a significant hearing handicap still remains. Optimum compensation for hearing loss can be obtained only when both ears receive the sound enhancement afforded by properly fitted hearing aids.

Whistling Hearing Aids

     The squealing sometimes heard coming from a hearing aid user's ear is called "feedback" and is most often caused by a poorly fitting hearing instrument. In this case amplified sound leaks out and "feeds back" into the microphone. Also, whistling occurs when amplified sound is reflected out of the ear as it "bounces off" a wall of ear wax.

Digital Technology

     Digital technology in the design of hearing aids has revolutionized the industry, enabling fully automatic and very sophisticated adjustments of loudness levels of specific pitch regions, thus “normalizing” the sounds amplified, enhancing clarity and comprehension.

Life Span of Hearing Aids

     After around 5 years, most hearing aids succumb to the ravages of moisture-induced corrosion and migration of ear wax into the working parts of the instrument. Best defense against early demise -- frequent cleaning with a mini brush and overnight use of a moisture absorbing bag during humid conditions.

Background Noise

     Most hearing aid users complain that they don't do well when background noise levels are high. Binaural (one in each ear) hearing aids make use of the brain's ability to focus attention on the desired information and relegate unwanted sounds to the background. Furthermore, the newest digitally programmable hearing aids favor the high frequency sounds which are critical for speech comprehension and suppress the low pitched tones typical of most unwanted noise.