Blog

Individuals with problems hearing high-frequency sounds generally have a hearing curve on an audiogram that looks like a ski slope. This type of hearing loss, the most common configuration seen by audiologists, is quite prevalent among those suffering from “presbycusis” (age-related hearing loss) and noise-induced hearing loss. Fortunately, it is also very responsive to treatment with an “open-fit” hearing instrument. This type of hearing instrument has become wildly popular among hearing-instrument users for its comfort and non-occlusive design. Unlike in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing instruments, open-fit hearing instruments do not require the use of an ear mold. Instead, sound coming from the

While most people suffering from hearing loss can be helped by a hearing instrument, those with severe-to-profound “sensorineural hearing loss” (or “nerve deafness”) may need a “cochlear implant.” this device, which counteracts damage to the “cochlea” (inner ear), has an internal and external component. The internal segment is surgically implanted under the skin behind the ear, and a narrow wire is threaded into the inner ear. The external component, which resembles a behind-the-ear hearing instrument, is connected to the internal one through the skin by means of an external magnetic disk. This arrangement of modules converts incoming sounds into electrical currents,

While it may not come as a surprise that smoking is linked with increased risk of hearing loss, it may come as a revelation to many that teens exposed to secondhand smoke may be at higher risk for hearing loss. While these findings do not necessarily prove that secondhand smoke directly causes hearing loss, it certainly provides one more good reason to not smoke and to stay away from smokers. It must also be pointed out that most of the teens with secondhand smoke exposure and hearing loss did not know that their hearing was impaired. This is important because lack