Types of Hearing Care Providers Ear Doctors, , Hearing Aid Specialists — What’s the Difference? Clearing up the confusion Individuals looking for hearing loss treatment face a number of challenges, including medical terms that may be unfamiliar and categories of health care professionals that may seem confusing. For instance, what is the difference between an audiologist and a hearing instrument specialist? The types of hearing care professionals you might encounter in seekin

How to Protect Your Hearing Shield Your Healthy Hearing From Harmful Noise Levels Exposure to excessive noise levels (greater than 85 decibels) during work or other activities can significantly increase your risk of hearing loss, or exacerbate an existing hearing impairment. Going without hearing protection in the face of harmful noise levels is likely to create problems down the road, when the damaging effects on the delicate hair cells of the cochlea — the inner-ear organ t

Hearing Loss Guide Hearing Is Our Most Critical Sense for Communicating with Others Even relatively mild hearing loss can seriously disrupt how we interact and connect with others. Without healthy hearing, the consequences for our social and mental health — and physical health, in some cases — become greater, and overall quality of life can plummet. Healthy hearing requires a number of processes in the inner ear and brain to work properly in order to correctly interpret the s

Signs of Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Is an Insidious Health Malady Most people don’t know they’re experiencing it until too late — and even then, they may assume that it’s a temporary problem. If no single significant event occurred that may have caused a sudden change in hearing ability, it’s typically a slow decline. These are among the most common signs that you or someone you know might have a hearing loss: · Asking people to repeat themselves often · Difficulty following c

Better Hearing Requires More than Just Hearing Aids Hearing your best means having the right technology — fit specifically to your unique hearing needs — for the environments you find yourself in most often and maximizing that technology with better communication strategies. Whenever someone is fit with new technology, there will be an adjustment period. Regardless of whether the person you’re communicating with has an untreated hearing loss or is using hearing aids for the f

What is Sensorineural Hearing Loss? Sensorineural hearing loss refers to any reduction in hearing sensitivity or sound clarity that is caused by damage to the delicate structures of the inner ear or the nerve pathways that carry the sound signal from the inner ear to the auditory processing area of the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss and affects 28 million Americans. Potential Causes: Sensorineural hearing loss is usually cumulative a

Real Ear Measurement for Hearing Aid Fitting and Adjustments Helping You Hear Your Best with Accurate Fitting Technology & Techniques When it comes to helping you hear your best, it’s important to achieve accurate settings within hearing devices. That’s why we incorporate the Real Ear Probe Microphone Fitting System (REM) into our hearing aid programming. What Is Real-Ear Measurement? The real-ear measurement system is one tool used to gauge the output response of a hearing d

Individuals Often Experience Different Levels of Hearing Loss in Each Ear And patients in this situation frequently ask us, “Can’t I just treat my really bad ear for hearing loss? Won’t that be improvement enough?” While we at Sharp Hearing & Balance sometimes see patients with hearing loss in only one ear (also known as unilateral hearing loss), typically the factors that led to the impairment have affected both ears — just to a different degree. In this relatively common si

What is Conductive Hearing Loss? A conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a problem with the one or more of the parts of the ear that conduct sound into the inner ear. The ear canal, ear drum, and the tiny bones in the middle ear make up the conductive system and any hearing loss caused by a problem in one or more of these areas is called a conductive hearing loss. Unlike a sensorineural hearing loss a conductive hearing loss occurs because the sound entering the ear is

Understanding the Basics of Hearing and Balance

Understanding hearing and balance

Hearing loss and balance issues are often interconnected, yet many people overlook their relationship. Did you know that approximately 48 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss? This statistic highlights the prevalence of the issue, but what many may not realize is how hearing loss can affect balance. In this blog post, we will explore the connection between hearing loss and balance issues, the underlying causes, and practical steps to manage these conditio