Affects Patients
Hearing instruments can improve communication and quality of life in more than 90% of people with hearing loss. Despite this, 75% of people diagnosed with hearing loss do nothing about it.
Balance Disorders
Vertigo and balance disorders are a significant public health concern in Canada. According to the National Institutes for Health, dizziness and vertigo is the second most common complaint in a physician’s office.
Cerumen
Cerumen, or earwax, is a naturally occurring substance of the external auditory canal. It is usually asymptomatic, but when it becomes impacted it can cause complications such as hearing loss, aural fullness, pain and more.
Children and Hearing Loss
Children who cannot hear or may have trouble hearing certain sounds are at greater risks for delays in grammar and articulation development. An audiologist can evaluate and recommend an audiological intervention plan.
Dementia
Hearing loss is associated with a 30–40% accelerated rate of cognitive decline, and a 24% increased risk of cognitive impairment compared to normal hearing.
Diabetes
Diabetes and hearing loss are two of Canada’s most widespread health concerns, with hearing loss left largely unrecognized and undertreated.
Hearables, PSAPs, OTCs, and Hearing aids
Technological innovations have created new ways and products for enhancing hearing care; but not all devices behave in the same manner and not all are appropriate for certain populations. Learn more!
Heart Disease
The inner ear is sensitive to changes in blood flow and compromised cardiovascular health may harm both the peripheral and central auditory systems. New research reveals that a healthy heart may be the key to healthy hearing.
Ototoxicity
Certain medications are ototoxic, meaning that they can damage the ear, resulting in hearing loss, tinnitus and vestibular/balance disorders.
Risk Falls
Recent research out of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has suggested untreated hearing loss can lead to issues with balance, which increases the risk of falling.
SSNHL
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss as an unexplained sudden drop in hearing in one ear that develops over a few hours (up to three days in an otherwise healthy patient.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus, the perceived sound usually in the form of buzzing, hissing, or ringing in the absence of an external stimulus, is experienced by 10–15% of the population.
Unilateral
Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) refers to any degree of hearing loss in one ear with the contralateral ear presenting with normal hearing.