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How Do I Know If I Have Hearing Loss?

Ever find yourself asking people to repeat themselves more often than you’d like? Or maybe you’ve noticed you’re turning up the volume on your television a little bit higher than usual? If so, you’re not alone. Hearing loss is more common than most people realize, and millions of individuals experience it every year. For some, it creeps in gradually, making it easy to overlook, while others face it suddenly. But here’s the good news: recognizing the signs early can make all the difference. Early detection not only helps protect your quality of life but also opens the door to effective solutions.

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Well Hearing is Well Being

Good hearing and communication are important through all stages of life Statistics Canada reports that 21% of adults have mild hearing loss2 whereas 7% of adults2 experience “moderate or worse” hearing loss. And hearing loss is generally prevalent over age 50. Hearing loss can be avoided through preventative actions like protecting your ears from loud sounds, practicing healthy ear care and keeping up with immunizations. Those at risk of hearing loss should have their hearing checked regularly because hearing loss can be addressed easily when it is identified in a timely manner. How can you take control of your hearing health?

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Custom Hearing Protection

Did you know that 1.1 billion people around the world are estimated to be at risk of noise-induced hearing loss? While working in a loud environment or being surrounded by noise may not be something you can always avoid, protecting your hearing IS! 50% of young people admit to listening to their music too loudly and 70% of people exposed to loud noise seldom wear hearing protection. And excessive exposure to noises higher than 85dB can damage your hearing. Here’s some common noise decibels for reference… Gun shot: 140 Jackhammer: 130 Motorsport: 100 Hairdryer: 90 Airplane cabin: 80 We’ve all been

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Gift of Hearing Contest

According to the CDC, the prevalence of hearing loss is twice as common as diabetes or cancer. And although more common in adults ages 50 and up, hearing loss a ects all ages, demographics and people across the globe. About 40 million adults ages 20-69 in the U.S. alone have noise-induced hearing loss, and approximately 3 in every 1,000 babies are born with detectable hearing loss in one or both ears. At Ear and Hearing Clinic, we believe that hearing well is essen al to being able to live life to the fullest! We are dedicated and passionate about crea ng

AN OPEN DISCUSSION

In terms of gaining widespread acceptance by those in need of hearing instruments, the largest strides have been made by recently developed “open-fit” hearing instruments. Not only have these compact instruments proven their ability to help wearers hear better in social settings (which often pose the greatest challenge to hearing instrument users), they are exceedingly comfortable. Open-fit users are particularly enthusiastic about the instruments’ design, which eliminates the need for custom-fitted molds that fit tightly in the ear canal. Instead, open-fit instruments feed processed sound from the small unity, which sits inconspicuously behind the ear, to the ear opening via a

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GAMING TINNITUS

While there is no current cure for “tinnitus,” researchers have developed a computer game that they hope will bring relief. The persistent noise that tinnitus sufferers endure in their heads is the result of wayward sound-processing nerve cells producing the illusion of non-existent sound. The concept of the computer game under development calls for tinnitus sufferers to complete a jigsaw puzzle on a tablet computer by using audio cues to find puzzle pieces. As they move their fingers on the screen, the sound tells them if they are on the right path. The sounds are tailored to the characteristics of each

ALL SOUNDS NOT TREATED EQUALLY

It used to be that hearing instruments amplified sounds of all frequencies equally. This meant that the lower-frequency sounds associated with background noise were given the same emphasis as high-frequency sounds found in conversation. This approach did not help those with the most common type of hearing loss, which primarily occurs in the higher frequencies. Since then, however, the digital age has ushered in products that help make conversation in the higher frequencies more distinguishable. Digitally programmed hearing instruments use microchip technology to customize amplification of sound. By turning up some frequencies and keeping others at normal input levels, it is

FOLLOWING THE 60/60 RULE

If we do not properly address the problem that loud noise poses to young ears, we will raise a generation of children that experience hearing loss by their 20s and 30s to a degree once seen only among seniors in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Those ubiquitous personal listening devices plugged into the ears of children have cause hearing loss in an estimated one in five teenagers. That percentage is nearly one-third higher than it was during the 1980s and 1990s. With this in mind, parents are encouraged to have their children follow the “60/60 rule,” which means listening to no

PROTECTIVE RESPONSE

Most of us have experienced a stuffy feeling in our ears after being exposed to loud noise. This protective response, known as “temporary threshold shift” (TTS), is the body’s way of protecting itself from extreme sound. This upward shift in the threshold of human hearing, which is usually caused by being subjected to a loud sound, involves reducing the hearing mechanism’s sensitivity to excessive noise. While most people recover from a TTS event in a day or two, it isn’t something you should ignore. It means that the noise to which you have been exposed could damage your hearing. Regular exposure