Hearing loss comes in three different types, each requiring different methods of treatment. There is the conductive, the sensorineural and the mixed hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss means that sounds cannot pass to the eardrum and the small bones found in our ears. Sensorineural hearing loss means that damage has taken place in the nerves of the inner ear connected to the brain. As we grow old, our ear hair cells start losing some of their functions, making our hearing worse.
The brain will no longer detect sound normally. Mixed hearing loss is having both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.
In short, hearing loss takes place when the hair cells in the ear responsible for detecting sound are permanently damaged. Speech and other sounds become difficult and, in some cases, impossible.
For decades, researchers have been working to discover a cure for hearing loss. Unfortunately, there is no known medicine or surgery that could cure hearing loss, especially the sensorineural one. Advance in technology allowed researchers to figure out solutions and new treatments for hearing loss using new medical equipment supplies such as hearing aid machines, implanted hearing devices through surgery, sound amplification products, hearing assistive products and other technologies.
Sometimes, hearing aid devices are not enough to help you hear well. Distance and environment affect the hearing ability. We are talking here about public places such as places of worship, auditoriums, airports, concert halls, restaurants, customer service desks and much more. This is when these assistive listening devices become handy. They work through wireless links or can be connected directly to the hearing aid or cochlear implant. They eliminate the effect of distance and background noise the patient might be hearing and allows him or her to hear in busy and loud places. Your audiologist will also provide you with all the information needed and help you know how to obtain them. Have a look at some of them.
Surgery
Some types of hearing loss however can be treated with surgery. Cochlear implants and bone conduction implants are options for sensorineural hearing loss. Cochlear implant dodges the damaged part of the ear and sends signals directly to the brain. It has a microphone that sits behind the ear and a transmitter that runs under the skin. Bone conduction implants transmit sound into the ear through the skull. They can be implanted under the skin with an external sound processor, sending signals to the implanted device.
Hearing aid machines
Until a cure is found, the best way to deal with hearing loss is through seeking help from hearing care professionals, best known as audiologists. Once you feel you have trouble hearing, you should do a thorough hearing evaluation from the audiologists. This evaluation will check what type of hearing loss you have and how severe and advanced it is. They will help in adapting to your new situation and find you the best hearing solutions. They will advise you on the steps you should follow and select the best solution found available in the market: the hearing aid machines.
They can discuss with you all the benefits of these hearing aid machines and fit you with the right device. The most important thing they may start with is that hearing aids neither restore your hearing nor cure it. They simply enhance it in a way that allows you to live normally, ignoring your problem and integrating smoothly with your environment. The key purpose of hearing aids is to amplify the sound you’re hearing and minimize the sounds you don’t. People of all ages can wear it.
FM systems (Frequency modulation)
They have 2 parts: a microphone the speaker wears, and a receiver that you wear on the ear or in the hearing aids. This allows the speaker’s voice to go directly to you, enhancing your ability to hear better. You can use this system anywhere such as classrooms, meetings, theaters or restaurants.
Hearing loops
They consist of copper wire placed in the room and connected to a sound system or microphone. They are the most user-friendly of these medical equipment supplies. Patients can switch their devices to the telecoil program and directly receive clear sound in their ears. The wire can be put in the ceiling or under the carpet. It is connected to a microphone. When someone uses the microphone, electrical currents move through the wire. You can switch your hearing aid to the telephone setting and your hearing aid cab pick up the signal and allow you to heat the speaker. These systems are good for large areas, but you can also use them at home for your own use.
Infrared systems
They function like TV remote controls. Sound is transformed into light signals and sent to the receiver the listener is wearing. The receiver changes the light waves back to sound. This receiver can be worn alone or put in your hearing aid. People wearing hearing aid devices or implants with telecoil can carry the signal using either a neck loop or headphone and a receiver. It can be used indoors during daytime because it will be affected by light. This system allows you to hear your TV without having to turn the volume too loud.
Protecting our ears is the best solution we can start with. Limiting the exposure to loud sounds, using ear protection equipment from earphones to earplugs and headphones, and keeping the volume normal are all ways that can help protect our hearing. Just do the right thing and search for the best hearing devices to hear well.