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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.
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