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Call Us (631) 378-0061 This is one of the questions we are asked most often. There are many reasons why you could have experienced some hearing loss, but the most important thing to know is that if you have, you are not alone – 22 million Americans have some degree of impaired hearing, and 10 million of them qualify as having hearing loss, as defined by having difficulty hearing normal conversations.
There are many possible causes of hearing loss, but the most common is age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, which is caused by simply getting older. Over time, the nerves and hair cells of the inner ear become damaged and begin to degenerate, making it more difficult to hear high-pitched sounds such as the sounds of women’s or children’s voices, or to be able to distinguish between consonants like S, T, K, P, and F.
The second most frequent cause of hearing loss is known as acoustic trauma or noise-induced hearing loss (NIMH), and happens when you have been exposed repeatedly to loud noises. Unlike age-related hearing NIHL can be experienced by anyone. This hearing loss can occur from over exposure to loud music or machinery like motorcycles or mowers. These are both examples of what is called sensorineural hearing loss, and although these conditions can rarely be reversed or eliminated, they can easily be treated using hearing aids to amplify and filter the sounds you hear.
Conductive hearing loss is different, and is characterized by a blockage in the ear canal that prevents sound from reaching the eardrum; the most common cause of this is the most easily treated and reversed, a buildup of ear wax. Conductive hearing loss can also be the result of fluid in the middle ear, or by an abnormal bone formation in the ear called otosclerosis. This causes the inner ear to be less effective at transmitting and receiving sounds.
Hearing loss can also occur as a result of exposure to certain medications, such as antibiotics and some drugs used to treat cancer, and as a result of infections of the middle ear or ear canal. Disease can also create hearing loss: Meniere’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, acoustic neuroma (non cancerous tumors on the bones of the middle ear), and stroke can all create conditions in the ear where hearing is damaged.
The best advice we can give you if you suspect you are losing your hearing is to make an appointment to have your hearing tested, so that we may advise you as to possible causes of the condition, and how best to treat it. Don’t suffer with hearing loss that gets worse over time; improve your quality of life by consulting a professional today.
Why is My Ability to Hear Getting Steadily Worse?
How Professional and Amateur Musicians Can Decrease the Odds of Future Hearing Loss
What do Phil Collins, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Ludwig van Beethoven have in common, besides all being musicians? They all suffered permanent hearing loss, directly as a result of playing their music.
I often work with musicians who have experienced hearing damage as a result of their longtime love of playing music. Exposure to loud music causes noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), which can produce a temporary ringing in the ears (tinnitus); if you continue to expose yourself to the loud music, the condition can become permanent.
The hearing loss can happen to any musician, whether they play in a rock band, in a symphony orchestra, in a chamber music group, or just play at home when rehearsing. Hearing loss can occur when exposed to any sound over 85 decibels (dB) in volume for prolonged lengths of time. An electric guitar played onstage generates 120dB, but a violin can produce 103dB, and thus cause almost as much hearing loss. In fact, audiologists researching hearing loss in musicians have found that overexposure to sound while rehearsing adds up to more hours than they spend on stage performing.
Fortunately, there is something you can do to protect your hearing – invest in a pair of earplugs; not the cheap foam earplugs you find in drugstores, but high-quality musicians earplugs. Such earplugs were invented over 20 years ago by a company called Etymotic Research, and their design is still used by most of the manufacturers of specialized earplugs for musicians. What makes them better than the cheap foam earplugs is that they allow you to hear music and speech accurately, at all frequencies, just at lowered volumes.
You can find universal-fit musicians earplugs in most stores that sell musical instruments, starting at about $15 a pair. But for the musicians I see – whether they play professionally or just for fun – I recommend custom-molded musicians earplugs with Etymotic filters, because of the greater protection they provide. Comfortable even with extended wear for long periods of time, custom-molded earplugs block undesirable sound allowing the music to come through undistorted and without damaging hearing. They are also more expensive than the universal-fit earplugs, but when you consider that hearing damage is irreversible, the investment is more than worth it.
We Provide Earmolds
Your ears are unique, with a complex inner shape. If you’ve ever resorted to those one-size-fits-no-one-really foam earplugs, you know how uncomfortable they can be. Their effectiveness is severely limited because they’re not made to fit your specific ear canal. Only custom-made hearing protection gives you the perfect, comfortable fit and reliable effectiveness.
Do you use an iPod? You’d be surprised how well new custom-fit ear buds help you connect with the music without stressing your sense of hearing— or harming your ears physically. The buds are created and fit by a hearing aid provider or audiologist. These specialized buds reduce external noise and don’t fall out when you’re exercising or running for the bus.
Are you a music lover? High quality custom-made earplugs are almost invisible when worn and they’re so comfortable you may not feel them either. With custom earplugs, you’ll increase your enjoyment of live concert performances without enduring a headache or ringing ears afterwards. Preserve your precious sense of hearing for the future.
Musicians, you’re understandably concerned about earplugs interfering with your perception of those essential high notes. Custom musician plugs are made from materials specially designed to allow you to hear the entire range of the sound spectrum, lowering the volume to a safer level without distorting sound.
How molds are made
Custom-fit hearing aids, ear protection and communication earpieces are made from a mold of your ear canal. Silicon is placed into the ear canals using a syringe to create the mold, which is refined to fit the individual and the ear bud if applicable. Specially designed swimming molds and hunter’s molds are also an option.
Could you use a set of musician plugs? These hearing devices can help anyone suffering from hyper-sensitive hearing (hyperacusis) or living in a noise-filled environment. What’s more, the earplugs don’t inhibit the ability to hear others’ voices. Ask about a customized hearing solution made here at East End Hearing.
Can Your Hearing Have an Effect on Your Ability to Process Touch?
Those born deaf will process the feeling of touch in a different manner than those born with normal levels of hearing. Findings reveal an early loss in senses can affect an individual’s brain development. It tacks on to the increasing list of new information confirming the impact of any influences from the outside world and experiences that help mold the brain as it develops.
Researcher shows that those born without hearing use their auditory cortex for processing feelings of touch and their visual stimuli far more than those of the hearing population do. Since the developing cortex of those with significant hearing problems is unexposed to any sound stimuli, it ends up adapting and taking on additional tasks for processing information.
Research shows exactly how the brain can rewire itself in the most dramatic of ways. It is of extreme interest to those currently studying the multisensory processing throughout the brain. Previous research shows that those born without hearing are more adept at processing motion and their peripheral vision. Those born with a hearing impairment may end up processing vision in different areas of the brain, especially when it comes to the auditory areas surrounding the primary cortex. No one has been able to tackle whether touch and vision are processed in a different manner when the individual was born without hearing. Due to the experimental settings, it can be extremely hard to produce the type of stimuli needed to find the answer to this question.
Dr. Karns and all of her colleagues developed one of the most unique apparatuses around that enables the user to wear them much like headphones as the patient was put into an MRI scanner. A flexible piece of tubing was connected into a compressor within a separate room, which then delivered small puffs of air directly above the individual’s right eyebrow and below their right eye on the cheek. Brief flashes of light were sent through an optic cable that was mounted beneath the air nozzle. The functional MRI helped measure the reaction of the stimuli at the base of the auditory cortex within the person’s temporal lobe, in addition to other areas of the brain.
Researchers were able to take advantage of the already diagnosed perceptual illusion in those who can hear, which is known as the double flash induced by auditory responses. This allows a singular flash of light along with at least two auditory events to be perceived as if here were multiple light flashes. In the experiment, researchers used the double air puffs as a stimulus for replacing that of the auditory stimulus; however, they kept the one flash of light instead of adding in multiples. The individual’s were also subjected to that of tactile stimuli as well as that of light stimuli on separate occasions and times without the stimuli in an attempt to establish a base for brain activities.
Hearing individuals that were given more than one puff of air and a single flash of light reported only seeing one flash. When the ones without hearing were exposed to identical circumstances, they reported seeing multiple flashes of light. As the scientists looked at the brain activity of those without their hearing, they noticed the activity was far greater within the cortex. However, not all of the brains responded in the same manner or to the same extent. Individuals who are deaf accompanied by the highest degree of activity also had the highest level of response in terms of illusion.
This study proves to be helpful to those without hearing on numerous levels. If vision and touch are interacting more within the deaf population, touch might be useful for the deaf population in learning how to read or compute math problems. It also proves beneficial in helping clinicians improve upon an individual’s hearing quality after getting a cochlear implant, especially among those who received an implant after the age of three. Since these children have been without auditory input since they were born, many will struggle with speech and comprehension due to the way in which their auditory cortex is taking on the other senses. All of these changes can make it more difficult for the cortex to recover the auditory functions after their implants. Knowing how to measure the cortex and how much of it is being ran by the other sensory processors will help provide the necessary input into the types of programs needed for retraining the brain and devoting the necessary capacities to processing auditory signals.
Feeling Out of Balance? Your Hearing May Be the Culprit
If you have been struggling with your balance, your hearing may be the culprit. Many people are surprised to learn that balance and hearing are directly related, and with the help of hearing devices, you just might be able to regain your balance.
The ear has an organ called the labyrinth in the inner ear. This has a direct affect on the balance system, also known as the vestibular system. When it is not functioning properly, the other systems of the body that help it maintain its position, including the eyes, bones and joints, will not function properly. In this case, you might feel dizzy or feel as though things around you are moving.
When your balance is impaired, you may have a balance disorder. Symptoms of a balance disorder may include:
• The feeling of falling
• Vertigo
• Lightheadedness
• Blurred vision
• Feelings of disorientation
Notice, none of these symptoms are related to hearing, yet the ears have a vital role to play in balance disorders.
If the balance disorder is caused by the ears, a hearing specialist may be able to help. Balance retraining exercises, known as vestibular rehabilitation, can help restore balance for some people. Others may find that changes to their diet are the best way to control their balance disorder. Sometimes, in extreme cases, surgery is necessary to repair the ear.
If you are struggling with balance and feelings of dizziness, the first place you may want to look for help is with the audiologist at your local hearing aid provider. With their advice and the benefit of a hearing test, you can get pointed in the right direction to get treatment for your disorder, so you can function well once again.
Factors Affecting Balance in the Elderly Population
There are a number of factors that contribute to the amount of balance an individual has when they are standing or walking. Good balance needs a sensory input that is reliable from the person’s vision, inner ear balance and sense of movement and position for the legs and feet. Elderly individuals are more susceptible to numerous diseases affecting these systems, such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which all cause problems with vision. Senses in your legs and feet are affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy, as well as a slow decrease in the vestibular system.
Balance also depends upon having joint mobility and exceptional muscle strength. If you are leading a sedentary lifestyle, having arthritis, or bone and muscle disease, it will play a key part in mobility and strength of your muscles. Since balance is a rather complex function, there is not necessarily one specific cause attributed to an elderly person falling. An older individual with a history of imbalance or chronic bouts of dizziness is considered two to three times more prone to falling when compared to someone who does not have those problems.
There are numerous causes that can contribute to a feeling of dizziness and lightheadedness, as well as a mild sense of vertigo. It could be anything from a disorder of the inner ear, issues with the central nervous system, problems with the cardiac system, low blood sugar, hyper-ventilation, infection, side effects from medications or a bad interaction with medication and an inadequate or imbalanced diet. A thorough evaluation is often required in an attempt to be able to determine all of the potential causes and end up with a proper diagnosis.
When there is more than one problem present, the task can become that much more complicated. In these cases, the amount of trouble within one system may not be as severe, but the effects might combine with enough issues to cause a serious issue with your balance. An elderly person suffering from arthritis in their ankles and a mild form of degeneration in their vestibular functions may have ample balance until they go into an operation for removing their cataracts. The change in their vision throughout the healing process and the necessary adjustment to their new contacts or glasses may be sufficient enough to cause an imbalance that makes them fall.
What Exactly is the Fluid Wave and How Does it Affect My Hearing?
Within the ear the cochlea is considered the most complex of all the components involved. Its primary function is to take all of the vibrations that are caused by sound waves and turn them into electrical information that the brain will interpret as a distinctive sound.
There are three connecting tubes that make up the structure of the cochlea, which are all separated by some of the most sensitive membranes. All of these tubes are coiled into shapes similar to that of a snail shell, but it is a lot easier to comprehend what is going on if you picture them all laid flat. It also becomes a lot clearer if you think of two of the tubes as one single chamber. The membranes that are between the tubes are extremely thin, so this way the sound waves are able to travel throughout the tubes as if they were all connected.
Your stapes are going to move side to side, which creates waves of pressure within the cochlea. The window that separates the cochlea from the middle ear provides the fluid with a place to go. As the stapes move inward, the window moves outward and vice versa.
The basilar membrane is the middle membrane. It has a rigid surface that covers the entire length of your cochlea. Whenever your stapes move inward and outward, they help to push and pull all of the parts of the membrane located just underneath the window. This movement creates a wave that moves along the length of the membrane. It is almost like a ripple travelling on a pond that moves the wave from the window and down to the cochlea.
There is a very strange structure that makes up the basilar membrane. In fact, there are between 20 and 30 thousand fibers that reach all the way across the cochlea width. They are very short and stiff, and they are located near the window. As you make your way along the tubes, you will notice the fibers tend to get a lot longer and more flexible.
This entire process works together to give the fibers varying frequencies. Specific frequencies help to resonate all of the fibers perfectly at a designated point, which causes them to vibrate extremely quickly. It is this principle that makes a kazoo and a turning fork work effectively. When you have a specific pitch in place the tuning fork will begin to ring and hum in such a manner that the reed within the kazoo will begin to vibrate.
While the waves are travelling across the membranes they are not able to release a lot of energy because they are too tense. However, once the waves reach the fibers with the identical frequency the energy is immediately released. Due to the increase in the length of the fibers and the decrease in how rigid they are, the higher frequency waves are able to vibrate the fibers that are in closer proximity to the window. The lower frequency waves are able to vibrate all of the fibers at the opposing end of the membrane.
It is not until one of the waves reach the fibers and sends out a frequency that the basilar membrane will move. Whenever the waves make their way to the resonating point the membranes will then release a large burst of energy within the area. That energy is potent enough to push the hair cells at that moment.
As the cells in the hair are moved, they are able to send any impulse into the nerve of the cochlea. That nerve works to send an impulse into the cerebral cortex, which is where the brain is able to interpret them. It is the responsibility of the brain to determine what the level of pitch is. It does this based upon a certain position of the cells that are sending the impulses. Louder sounds are going to send off more energy at the resonating point along the membrane, as well as move a larger amount of cells within the area. Your brain will know that the sound is louder because there will be an increase in the number of hair cells that are activated within a specified region.
Your Hearing Aid Fitting
If you have been evaluated for hearing loss by your hearing healthcare provider, you may have already determined your candidacy for hearing aids. If you have made your ear impressions and ordered your aids, you now just have to wait for them to return from the manufacturer. Typically the wait time is 1.5 to 3 weeks for a custom aid or custom ear piece to return. Non-custom aids may be ready to be fit the same week as your evaluation. Once the aids have returned to your provider’s clinic, they will thoroughly check the devices to ensure that the hearing instruments are performing as expected. An appointment for fitting and orientation will be scheduled.
Expect your fitting and orientation to last between 1 and 1.5 hours. Your provider will place your hearing instruments in your ears and ensure a good fit. While the feeling may not be very natural for you at the beginning, there should never be any major discomfort or pain, even initially. If you note any of these symptoms, tell your hearing healthcare provider immediately.
Your aids will be connected by wires or wirelessly (typically through Bluetooth capabilities) to a computer programming software. Your provider will probably have pre-programmed basic settings prior to your coming in. The sounds seem very new and very loud to you at first. This occurrence is natural, but if the sound is uncomfortable or distorted tell your provider. Your patient feedback is just as valuable as the computer programming used. Some programming adjustments may be made to get the best sound quality for your hearing needs.
Some providers ask their patients to stick to a schedule of wear time for your hearing instruments. An adjustment period may necessary for some (but not all) patients to acclimate to this “new” sound. If you want to deviate from the schedule, wear more often – never less often.
Your hearing healthcare provider will guide you through the process of understanding the components of your aid, inserting and removing your aids, and hearing instrument care and maintenance. You should be given time to demonstrate these skills and ask any questions. You should be provided with a supply of batteries to carry you through at least a 30-day trial period. A follow-up appointment is usually set for one to two weeks. If you have problems with your hearing or hearing aids before then, contact your provider.
RIC Hearing Aids
One of the superior modern innovations in behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids is the receiver in the canal hearing instrument. This digital hearing device is one of the most discreet units available. These devices are also often called receiver in the ear (RITE) aids, these digital hearing instruments are noted to improve perceived sound quality over similar open-fit BTE aids. If you are interested in hearing better with style, RICs may be right for you!
Comparable to the customary and open-fit BTE models, RICs sit on the top of the outer visible portion of the ear. RICs are low profile, sleek, and discreet BTE options. Unlike their open-fit and customary counterparts, RICs are not coupled to an ear piece by means of thin, long tubing and the speaker system is not located in the section of the aid that sits on top of the ear. With RICs the speaker system is positioned inside of a small dome tip or custom ear piece that sits in the outer ear canal. The receiver is connected to the aid behind the ear by means of coated wiring. Deeper placement of the speaker system in the outer ear canal is one of the reasons for improved, more natural sound quality!