Diagnostics

 
The Effects of Hearing Loss and Sound Voids™ can be minimized if:

• Your problem is correctly diagnosed;
• You receive the right type of treatment; and
• You and your hearing care team are committed to solving the problem

Step One: The Interview
Purpose: To help your AudigyCertified™ professional determine the extent of your problem and uncover any specific areas requiring further attention.

Some Typical Questions:

• Has anyone else in your family had hearing difficulty?
• Have you had any illnesses or injuries that might have affected your hearing?
• Have you taken any medications that might have affected your hearing?
• Have you been exposed to loud noises in your job or leisure activities?

Step Two: The Examination
Purpose: To help your AudigyCertified professional determine whether the Sound Voids you are experiencing could be caused by an obstruction or damage to the ear canal or ear drum. Your AudigyCertified professional will use a special instrument called an otoscope or video otoscope to inspect the outer ear.

Step Three: The Testing
Purpose: To help the hearing care professional determine the nature of your Sound Voids. Tests, like the following, may be used depending on their assessment of your needs:

• Audiometric pure tone evaluation to measure your hearing at different frequencies.
• Speech evaluation to measure how well you hear and understand ordinary conversation at different volumes.
• Immittance middle ear evaluation to measure how your ear drum and hearing react to varying degrees of air pressure.
• If you are suffering from a hearing loss, your results will be documented on an audiogram.

Step Four: Treatment Options
Hearing Systems
Hearing systems come in a variety of designs, with a wide range of functions and features to address an individual’s specific needs. The most basic components include a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and (in the case of digital hearing systems) a small computer. The unprecedented effectiveness of modern digital systems comes from a powerful combination of professional expertise, software, and hardware.

Surgery & Implants
Devices surgically inserted into the ear to improve hearing, facilitate lip-reading, and make it easier to distinguish certain sounds. Typically, these are most helpful to deaf or profoundly hearing-impaired people unable to use hearing systems.

A few examples of surgical implants:

• Cochlear Implants
• Middle Ear Implants
• Bone-Anchored Hearing Systems
• Auditory Brainstem Implants

Assistive Listening Devices
Specialized technologies that help people with all degrees of hearing loss. These devices can facilitate improved face-to-face communication, reception of electronic media, telephone reception, and reception of important warning sounds and situations.