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Friends, Romans, Countrymen,
The Case for Binaural Hearing Aids Ear or Ears? If both ears can benefit from hearing aids, using just one produces unnecessary frustration, misunderstandings and stress. Consider this: properly fitted hearing aids provide accurate information to the brain; and because the brain depends upon information from both ears it should be no surprise that the degree to which the brain receives accurate information is the degree to which you can communicate successfully. Perhaps you'll agree that maintaining good relationships is enough of a challenge without the added burden of poor communication. Gentle Amplification Advantage Hearing aids are more efficient and sound clearer when they don’t over-amplify sounds. When the ears work together, as they do when 2 hearing aids are worn, less loudness is required for comfortable hearing. This reduced need for power is very much appreciated by your sensitive hearing mechanism. Loud sounds are less annoying; listening becomes less stressful; and your ears are better protected against the damage caused by excessive amplification. Clarity Advantage There is a profound difference between stereo sound (2 amplifiers and 2 loudspeakers) and mono (one amplifier and usually one loudspeaker). Stereo enables you to appreciate the full, natural depth of music and voices while “mono” makes all sounds seem shallow, flat and unnatural. The brain requires hearing in both ears (stereo) to make words: (1) more natural sounding; (2) more easily understood and (3) more easily comprehended despite the presence of disturbing background sounds. Safety Advantage The one‑eared listener is forever saying "Where are you?" because two ears are needed to tell us from which direction a voice (or sound) is coming. The ability to localize the source of sound is more than a convenience. It may some day save your life by telling you which way to jump when a car horn sounds or when someone yells "Watch out!" To Avoid Being Rude (Unintentionally) One‑eared listeners may be considered rude because they tend to ignore people who speak into the “deaf” ear while the “good” ear is occupied with listening to someone else. There must be no deaf side if one is to be an effective listener in all social and business situations. Binaural hearing aids eliminate this deaf side problem. To Avoid Embarrassment When your brain is fed only partial data, you often make incorrect decisions or give wrong answers to questions. Besides causing embarrassment, these wrong decisions and responses create the impression that you are less intelligent or “with it” than you really are. The longer your brain is deprived of required information, the more difficult it becomes for you to understand what’s going on. Unfortunately, many give up the struggle to get reliable information and find themselves avoiding social situations. It is only when both ears are available to receive and pass along information that the brain can operate at its full capacity. Auditory Intelligence Advantage Although the two halves of the brain serve different functions they operate in harmony, each contributing its own unique perception to create a fully formed auditory image. It is the unique signal each ear sends to the brain that makes efficient auditory perception possible. The ears' signals travel up the brain stem via complicated pathways. Some cross over and eventually stimulate the opposite side of the brain. Some end up stimulating the same side. These complex patterns of stimulation provide auditory intelligence. Without this integration effect, the brain is unnecessarily handicapped. Period of Adjustment Advantage Unfortunately, hearing aids cannot fully duplicate the natural sound produced by normal ears. However, the vast majority of new hearing aid users adapt to the amplified sound thus rendering it “normal” sounding. The use of binaural hearing aids dramatically shortens this adaptation period and, too, enables the sound to be perceived as more natural from the start. Sound Quality Advantage Many hearing aid users have experienced both monaural and binaural hearing aid use. The vast majority report a clear quality advantage when two hearing aids are worn. Please don't underestimate the advantages of superior quality and the burden of persistently poor sound quality. One must seize every opportunity to enhance listening quality in order to avoid the stress and frustration that accompanies less‑than‑optimum hearing. Speech Quality Advantage Our ability to control the way we speak is largely determined by the way we hear ourselves. It is hearing that enables us to monitor and adjust the pitch, enunciation and clarity of our speech. If hearing is less than optimum, speech quality surely suffers. Binaural hearing aids help preserve the normalcy of our speech, voice and language. Hearing In Noise Advantage The “cocktail party effect” is the ability to understand what someone is saying while listening in a noisy crowd situation (like at a cocktail party). When one ear is prevented from participating, all voices blend together and comprehension of any one voice in the crowd becomes impossible. But when both ears are allowed to function, comprehension of any one individual voice in the crowd is more successful. Tinnitus Suppression Advantage There are tens of thousands of people who suffer from tinnitus, a constant ringing or hissing in the ears often accompanied by hearing loss. The single most effective treatment for this problem is the use of binaural hearing aids which, by their masking function, reduce the very annoying effects of this disorder “ Toward Better Understanding” |
