• Over 30% of people over the age of 65 have hearing loss; 26.7 million Americans have a clinically significant hearing loss and fewer than 15% use hearing aids.
• 20.1% of Baby Boomers have hearing loss
• 1.4 million Children have hearing loss
• Approximately 82% of people with hearing loss do not seek treatment
• Patients with untreated hearing loss are more likely to report depression, worry, anxiety, social isolation, and other quality of life issues.
• The signs of hearing loss can be subtle and emerge slowly,or be significant and come on suddenly. We are the ready resource for sudden hearing loss diagnosis.
• The majority of patients with hearing loss list their primary care doctor as their most important source of information about where to go for hearing healthcare services.
• Only 13-15% of primary physicians screen for hearing loss. Only 8% of internal medicine specialists screen for hearing loss
• Physicians and allied health professionals should encourage patients suspected of having hearing loss to seek appropriate testing, diagnosis and treatment, e.g. the diabetic patient. This is especially true for patients over the age of 12 years, in high-risk categories: those exposed to both second-hand smoke and who have previously smoked or are an active smoker, those with hypertension, cardiovascular disease,and peripheral vascular disease.
• We offer state-of-the-art audiometric testing
• Efficacy—90% of patients with hearing loss who can be treated with hearing aids show improved symptoms, improved mental well-being, and quality of life when treated with this advanced, highly efficient technology.

Outer ear – Known as the pinna, is the visible part of the ear. It helps capture sound to enter the ear canal.

Middle ear - Consists of the eardrum and three tiny connected bones (ossicles), which are often referred to as the hammer, anvil and stirrup. These bones convert sound waves to mechanical energy to transfer to the cochlea.

Inner ear - contains the snail-shaped cochlea and the hearing nerve, taking the mechanical energy from the ear bones and converting this to an electrical signal to the brain through stimulation of tiny hairs in the cochlea.

Each of these parts of the ear play a critical role in transmitting sound. Your natural hearing depends on them working together and if you have a problem anywhere in the process, you may experience hearing loss.

Process of Hearing Animation

Mild hearing loss: You may hear speech, but soft sounds are hard to hear, such as whispers or the consonants on the end of words like “shoes” or “fish.”

Moderate hearing loss: You may hear speech from another person speaking at a normal level, but will have difficulty understanding what is said. You might hear the vowels within a sentence but will not hear the consonants. This makes sentence comprehension almost impossible.

Severe hearing loss: You may hear little to no speech of a person talking at a normal level and only some loud sounds. Very loud sounds, such as a car horn, wouldn’t likely be startling or scary in the same way it would to a person with normal hearing.

Profound hearing loss: You will not hear any speech and only very loud sounds and will likely feel the vibrations of only the loudest of sounds.

Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss resulting from missing or damaged sensory cells (hair cells) in the cochlea and is usually permanent. Also known as “nerve deafness,” sensorineural hearing loss can be mild, moderate, severe or profound.

Mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss can often be helped with hearing aids or a middle ear implant. Cochlear implants are often a solution for severe or profound hearing loss.

Common causes include:

• Congenital hearing loss
• Aging
• Exposure to loud noise
• Head injury
• Genetics
• Adverse reaction to medications

Treatment options include: Hearing aids or Cochlear implants

Conductive hearing loss occurs when damage to the outer ear or middle ear blocks sound vibrations from reaching your cochlea. With this type of hearing loss, ears may feel plugged and speech may sound muffled, especially if there is a lot of background noise. Any problem in the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from being conducted properly is known as a conductive hearing loss. Conductive hearing losses are usually mild or moderate in degree, ranging from 25 to 65 decibels.

In some cases, a conductive hearing loss can be temporary. Depending on the specific cause of the problem, medication or surgery can help.

Common causes include:

• Malformations at birth such as Microtia and Atresia
• Syndromes such as Down, Goldenhar and Treacher CollinsChronic mastoiditis or middle ear infections
• Skin growth or cyst (cholesteatoma)
• Draining ears
• Previous ear surgeries
• Benign tumors

Treatment options include: Medication, surgery, hearing aids , bone conduction implants.

Hearing Aids: At our hearing center we provide state of the art air hearing aids and audiologists with decades of experience in hearing aid programming to provide optimal performance. This is paramount as not all hearing aids are alike and must be matched to the individual patients hearing loss.

Bone Conduction Hearing Systems: Air conduction hearing aids work by amplifying sound after it enters the ear canal. While a hearing aid tries to push sound through the damaged part of the ear, bone conduction uses your natural ability to conduct sound through bone vibrations. Through bone conduction, sound bypasses the damaged outer or middle ear and sends clearer, more crisp sound directly to your inner ear.

There are several available systems depending on the individual hearing loss and the amount of power needed to hear clearly. With the devices there are both surgical and non-surgical options.

https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/home
https://www.medel.com/
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/therapies-procedures/ear-nose-throat/bone-conduction-hearing-therapy.html

Cochlear Implants: A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. For more information on cochlear implants see the links below. We implant and program the three available systems available in the United States.

https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/home
https://www.medel.com/
https://advancedbionics.com/us/en/home.html

Earlens: Conventional hearing aids use a speaker to amplify sounds. The Earlens® Contact Hearing Solution directly vibrates your eardrum to activate your natural hearing system. The result is rich, complete sound that users report makes it easier to understand people in noisy environments and participate in group situations.

https://earlens.com/

A wide range of technology and a host of features are available in each hearing aid style. The cost of hearing aids generally depends on the technology and the number of features the instrument has and not necessarily on the style selected. Today's digital hearing aids are typically offered in various levels such as basic or entry-level to advanced or premium-level. Within each level, different technology and features are available. Basic digital hearing aids generally require the wearer to make some manual adjustments in certain listening environments such as turning a volume control up or down, or pushing a button to change listening programs. In contrast, a premium or more advanced hearing aid responds automatically to changes in the listener's environment, making changes based on the signals being detected by the hearing aid. The hearing aid wearer is not required to make any manual changes. As the level of the technology increases in hearing aids, so do the availability of advanced features. When selecting a style the following is considered:

• The degree of the hearing loss (power requirements)
• Manual dexterity & visual abilities
• Patient budget
• Cosmetics
• Skin sensitivities
• Anatomical/medical considerations

Styles of Hearing Aids Hearing aids are available in many different sizes and styles thanks to advancements in digital technology and miniaturization of the internal components. Many of today's hearing aids are considered sleek, compact, and innovative - offering solutions to a wide range of hearing aid wearers.

In-the-Ear Styles Hearing aids worn in the ear are usually custom-fit, based on a cast or impression of the ear. They’re available in different skin tones to camouflage with the outer ear. There are several styles – each is listed below, ranging from smallest to largest.
Invisible in the Canal (IIC) The smallest custom style, IIC instruments sit invisibly in or past the second bend of the ear canal. IIC are specifically designed for mild to moderate hearing loss.
Completely in the Canal (CIC) The smallest custom style, CIC instruments fit deeply and entirely within the ear canal. They fit mild to moderate hearing losses and offer high cosmetic appeal as they’re nearly invisible when worn.
In the Canal (ITC) ITC instruments sit in the lower portion of the outer ear bowl, making them comfortable and easy to use. Because they’re slightly larger than CIC models, they have a longer battery life, and can host additional features such as directional microphones for better understanding in noisy environments, and controls such as volume controls. They fit mild and moderate hearing losses.

Full Shell or In the Ear (ITE) Full shell models sit flush within the outer ear bowl. Their size allows the maximum number of additional controls and features such as directional microphones, which require space on the outer portion of the instrument. They use a larger battery size than the smaller styles, and can fit a larger receiver with enough power for even some severe hearing losses. Because of their flexibility, they’re widely recommended for mild to severe hearing loss.

Behind-the-Ear Styles Behind-the-Ear (BTE) models sit behind or on top of the outer ear, with tubing that routes sounds down into the ear that connects to an ear tip or earmold to secure them in the ear canal. BTEs come in colors to blend with hair or skin tones, and even chrome colors, leopard print and other funky designs to suit personal styles. Different BTE sizes accommodate different features, controls, battery types and degrees of power (larger instruments generally have more power than smaller ones). While many people choose discreet BTEs that are unnoticeable when worn, others are tempted to show off the cool designs.
Mini BTE with slim tube and tip Mini BTEs are designed to hide behind the outer ear, and have ultra-thin tubing to discreetly route sound into the ear. The tubing connects to a soft tip that sits in the ear canal but doesn’t occlude it. The result is a natural, open feeling as airflow and sound enter the ear naturally around the tip, while amplified sound enters through the tip. This is known as “open fitting” and is recommended for mild to moderate high frequency losses.
Receiver in Canal (RIC) RITE models, also known as RIC (receiver-in-canal) models, are mini BTEs that have the speaker of the instrument incorporated in the ear tip, instead of in the main body of the instrument. RITE instruments fit mild to severe hearing losses. This hearing aid style looks similar to the Mini BTE when worn on the ear.

BTE with Earmold BTEs with earmolds fit mild through profound hearing losses. Their longer shape follows the contour behind the outer ear and can house many features such as a program button and volume control. The earmold color and style, as well as the wearer’s hairstyle, determine exactly how they’ll look on each person.