What to expect when you visit our office
Our goal is to solve your problem. We administer hearing tests and balance tests to help us to figure out what might be wrong. Our staff has specialized training in identifying and measuring the type and degree of hearing loss and recommending treatment options.
Detailed Case History
What we find during our testing is almost as important as the information you provide us before we even begin a balance or hearing test.
Otoscopic Examination
We exam the outer ear and the ear canal to check for anything out of the ordinary that may influence our findings.
Immittance Testing
This part of a hearing test will tell us how the eardrum, the middle part of your ear including the bones in the middle part of the ear are working.
Hearing Tests
Whether or not you have a hearing loss is important. But it’s also important to establish a baseline for the future.
Balance Testing
Feeling dizzy, off balance or have vertigo? Our battery of tests will provide your physician with an idea of how best to provide you with a solution.
Learn more about hearing loss
We’ve found that our patients truly want to better understand as much as they can about hearing and hearing loss. We’re glad we can be a resource for information.
1. Is there a link between hearing loss and age?
2. Does exposure to loud noise impact your hearing?
3. Is it possible to lose your hearing suddenly?
4. Who is the typical person suffering from tinnitus?
5. Are there different types of hearing loss?
Types of Hearing Loss
There are four commonly recognized different types of hearing loss:
- Conductive
- Sensorineural
- Mixed
- Central
Conductive Hearing Loss
A conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the ear canal, eardrum, or through the tiny bones of the middle ear. This results in a reduction of the loudness of a sound. Common causes of a conductive hearing loss include:
- Trauma to the ear
- Fluid in the middle ear
- Excessive wax in the outer ear canal
- Outer ear infection
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Often referred to (in error) as “nerve deafness” a sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea. These cells cannot be repaired or replaced. Common causes of sensorineural hearing loss include:
- Exposure to loud noises
- The aging process
- Viral Infections
- Trauma to the ear
- Medications that are toxic to the ear
Typically a sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and irreversible. The only solution for most people with a sensorineural hearing loss to improve their ability to hear is to use hearing aids.
Mixed Hearing Loss
Some people have both a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss. A combination of the two different types is referred to as a mixed hearing loss. For example, a mixed loss can occur when someone has a sensorineural hearing loss and develops fluid in their middle ear causing a conductive hearing loss. They may notice a decline in their ability to hear as a result of the temporary change in their hearing caused by the conductive hearing loss. Once the conductive hearing loss is resolved, their hearing levels should return to the level it was prior to the conductive hearing loss.
Central Hearing Loss
Our outer and inner ears allow us to “hear” sound, but the brain, allows us to “understand” sound. Various medical issues can cause our processing of auditory stimuli to breakdown causing a central hearing loss also known as an auditory processing disorder. Persons with a central hearing loss can hear sound but have difficulty with understanding or processing what they heard. When a central hearing loss is suspected, there are tests that can be done to determine if a hearing loss is due to a central auditory processing problem.
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Statistics
Noise & Hearing Loss
18% of adults aged 20-69 have speech-frequency hearing loss in both ears from among those who report 5 or more years of exposure to very loud noise at work, as compared to 5.5 percent of adults with speech-frequency hearing loss in both ears who report no occupational noise exposure.
Hearing Loss in the United States
One in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard hearing examinations.