Hearing Loss FAQs

How can I recognize hearing problems?

Most of the time hearing problems begin gradually, without discomfort or pain. What's more, family members often learn to adapt to someone's hearing loss, without even realizing they are doing it. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine whether hearing loss is present:

    1.  Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?
    2.  Do I have trouble following conversations with more than two people?
    3.  Do I have difficulty hearing what is said unless I'm facing the speaker?
    4.  Does it sound like other people are mumbling or slurring their words?
    5.  Do I struggle to hear in crowded places like restaurants, malls, and meeting rooms?
    6.  Do I have a hard time hearing women or children?
    7.  Do I prefer the TV or radio volume louder than others?
    8.  Do I experience ringing or buzzing in my ears?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, chances are you do suffer from hearing loss.

If I had hearing loss, wouldn't my doctor have told me?

Not necessarily. Only about 13% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss. Since most people with hearing impairments hear just fine in quiet environments (like your doctor's office), it can be very difficult for your physician to recognize this problem. Only a trained hearing professional can determine the severity of your hearing problem, whether or not you could benefit from a hearing aid, and which type would be best for you.

What are the most common hearing loss causes?

There are several causes. The main ones include excessive noise, infections, genetics, birth defects, infections to the head or ear, aging, and reaction to drugs or cancer treatment.

Are there different types of hearing loss?

Yes. There are three types of hearing loss:

    1.  Sensorineural: The most common type, it occurs when the inner ear nerves (and hair cells) are damaged and do not properly transmit auditory signals to the brain. Can be treated with hearing aids.
    2.  Conductive: Is typically the result of obstructions in the ear. Can usually be treated medically or surgically.
    3.  Mixed: A combination of sensorineural and conductive.

If you want to learn more , visit our Types of Hearing Loss page.

Doesn't hearing loss only affect old people?

Hearing loss can occur at any time, at any age. In fact, most people with hearing loss (65%) are younger than age 65! There are six million people in the U.S. ages 18-44 with hearing loss, and around one-and-a-half million are school age.

Are there operations or medications I can take for hearing loss?

Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be improved medically or surgically. The other 95% of Americans with hearing loss are treated with hearing aids.

Won't wearing a hearing aid make me look old or weak?

While you are no doubt concerned about appearance, compensating for a hearing loss by asking people to repeat themselves, inappropriately responding — or not responding at all — to people talking, or even withdrawing from social situations is more obvious than wearing a hearing aid.

Today's hearing aids are small, discreet, and more stylish than ever before. Some are even invisible. And, chances are that once you have a hearing aid, your quality of life will improve so much that cosmetics won't be as much of an issue for you.

How will a hearing aid improve my quality of life?

Research on people with hearing loss and their significant others has shown that hearing aids play a significant factor in a person's social, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

More specifically, treatment of hearing loss has been shown to improve1:

• Communication in relationships
• Intimacy and warmth in family relationships
• Ease in communication
• Earning power
• Sense of control over your life
• Social participation
• Perception of mental functioning
• Emotional stability

When you consider all the benefits of better hearing, you can see that hearing aids hold great potential to positively change your life.

1 Source: www.betterhearing.org

How do hearing aids work?

At their most basic, hearing aids are microphones that convert sound into electrical signals. An amplifier increases the strength of the signal, then a receiver converts it back to sound and channels it into the ear canal through a small tube or earmold. A battery is necessary to power the hearing aid and to enable amplification. Our hearing aids are sophisticated, state-of-the-art instruments that require computer programming to adjust to your specific lifestyle and listening environments.

Will a hearing aid restore my hearing?

While no hearing aid can restore your hearing to normal (except in cases of very mild hearing loss), Hearing aids are designed to let you hear soft sounds that you couldn't hear before, and prevent loud sounds from becoming uncomfortably loud for you. They are also designed to improve your ability to understand speech, even in noisy environments.

Will I be able to hear in noisy places?

While no hearing aid can filter out all background noise, most quality hearing aids are designed to reduce some types of background noise so that you can enjoy conversation and improve communication in places like restaurants, business meetings and social gatherings.

What are the different types and styles of hearing aids?

Today's digital hearing aids come in a wide variety of sizes and styles — from those that sit behind the ear to completely invisible hearing aids — and feature different technology levels to match your specific needs and budget. Visit our Types of Hearing Aids page for more details.

How do I know which hearing aid will be best for me?

There are several factors that will determine which hearing aid will be the right one for you. They include the nature and severity of your hearing loss, your lifestyle and the activities you regularly enjoy, your job, your eyesight and dexterity, and the size and shape of your outer ear and inner ear canal. Ultimately, our hearing professionals will be able to advise you as to the best choice for you.

What are some advances in hearing aid technology?

Like many other high-tech devices (TVs, phones, computers), hearing aids have experienced a major technological revolution in the past decade and especially in the last couple years.
The best of today's digital hearing aids are designed to virtually eliminate feedback; make listening in noisy environments easier and more comfortable; stream stereo sound from TVs and radios directly to the hearing aid itself; and much more. All in instruments that are smaller (in some cases, invisible) and more comfortable and powerful than ever before.

Is there an adjustment period to wearing hearing aids?

Yes. Most people need an adjustment period of up to four months before becoming acclimated to — and receiving the full benefit of — wearing their hearing aids. However, you should expect to notice demonstrable benefits right away.

Will I need a hearing aid for both ears?

Two-ear hearing (called "binaural") is better than one. If you have hearing loss in only one ear, you may be fine with one hearing aid. Age- and noise-related hearing loss tend to affect both ears, but your hearing profile for each ear is probably different. If there is a loss in both ears, you will probably benefit more with a binaural solution. Today, about two-thirds of new users opt for dual hearing aids, and as a group they report a higher level of satisfaction than purchasers of a single hearing aid.

Why in the world would you pay over $2,500 for a hearing aid?

The fact is there are nearly as many technology options as there are levels of hearing loss. Some very sound technologies cost much less than $2,500, and others that cost well above that number--EACH. Which one is right for you depends on the level and complexity of your loss as well as your lifestyle needs.

Ultimately, we're trying to use technology to compensate for something impossibly intricate: the human ear. This requires a lot of sophistication, and is the result of expensive research and development and some very powerful circuitry in a very compact device.

The key is to strike the right balance between price and lifestyle need. For a mild loss and quiet lifestyle, a $750 hearing aid may be just right. However, a more severe loss and a lifestyle that includes gatherings with family, friends, and coworkers, may require a hearing aid with $4,500 worth of technology that utilizes directional microphones, speech preservation, and other advanced features.

Whether you would qualify for that $750 hearing aid, or would be better fit with one that is $2,500, or even $4,500, we can assure you that your life will improve as you take the necessary steps to better hearing.

Are $100 hearing aids any good?

These inexpensive models are simply hearing amplifiers that will make everything louder (including all the ambient noises around you). They will not, for example, separate human voices from background noises, or hear directional sounds like today's more sophisticated hearing aids are designed to do.