Knowledge Center

The Challenges Of Communicating With A Mask While Hearing-Impaired

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the importance of face masks apparent because they can significantly reduce or eliminate the transfer of virus-containing respiratory droplets. For people who have hearing impairments or hearing loss, however, wearing face masks can pose a barrier to communication whether they are wearing hearing aids or not. Face masks can change the volume of sound from speaking and the clarity and tone of the words that are spoken. They can muffle sounds. People who have learned to...

Five Ways To Make Ringing Stop After Long Exposure To Loud Noises

Being exposed to loud noises for a long period can cause damage to the structures of the ear. This damage can lead to tinnitus, which causes ringing in the ears. People with tinnitus may have difficulty hearing, and the ringing sound can interfere with daily life. Tinnitus can be temporary and subside over a few hours. However, the damage to the ear structures can also be permanent, making it important for you to try to prevent additional hearing loss. Here...

Early Hearing Loss Could Pave the Way For Dementia, Study Says

People are exposed to loud sounds throughout their lives, including people who live in urban environments. However, city noises are normally not loud enough to damage your hearing. However, if you are consistently exposed to sounds that exceed a certain threshold of loudness, they can damage your hearing over time. Measurement of sounds The intensity of sounds is measured in decibels. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sounds can be designated as harmless or dangerous based on their...

Hyperacusis – Symptoms, Types, Causes & Treatment.

If everyday sounds bother you, you might have hyperacusis. People who have this condition are very sensitive to regular sounds in the environment. Hyperacusis can negatively impact many areas of your life and can harm your career and social life. Suffering from this condition can make simple activities such as watching television, vacuuming, or talking to friends nearly impossible. In some cases, people who suffer from hyperacusis are unable to tolerate the sounds of their voices or those of their...

Dining Out for People with Hearing Loss

Dining out with a hearing loss Millions of Americans suffer from hearing loss, and many wear hearing aids. While hearing aids can help people to hear better and to understand what others are saying to them, they might not work as well when people are eating out at restaurants. Modern restaurants tend to use decorative details such as glass and hard flooring that allow sound to echo off of them. When you combine these types of decorative features with the sounds...

About hidden hearing loss

What is hidden hearing loss? Hidden hearing loss a relatively new term. It describes hearing loss that cannot be measured by standard hearing tests, even though patients report difficulty hearing, especially in background noise. How is hidden hearing loss measured? There is no standard test protocol to detect hidden hearing loss. A person with hidden hearing loss may have normal results on a standard hearing test battery. An audiologist may elect to do additional testing that evaluates a patient’s hearing abilities in the...

Musicians with Hearing Loss

Beethoven is the most famous example of a musician who had a severe hearing loss. Beethoven lost his hearing in his early 20s and wrote many of his best works after he was deaf. Here are some other examples of famous musicians who have suffered hearing losses as a result of their careers. Chris Martin of Coldplay Chris Martin developed tinnitus at a young age that includes headaches and ringing in his ears. He works with the Action on Hearing Loss in...

Rare Ear Condition Makes Woman Unable to Hear Men’s Voices

A woman who lives in China was recently diagnosed with a type of hearing loss that is called reverse-slope hearing loss. The woman awakened and was unable to hear her boyfriend's voice, which prompted her to see a specialist. This condition is named after the appearance of the slope on audiology exams and refers to a hearing loss in which people are unable to hear sounds of lower frequencies. Reverse-slope hearing loss is very rare and affects an estimated 3,000...

Taking care of your ears this winter

Prevent ear infections this winter As winter approaches, ear infections are prevalent. Ear infections during the winter months affect both children and adults. There are some tips that you can follow to reduce the risk of suffering from ear infections this year. Taking care of your ears can help you to avoid the pain that ear infections can cause. Why do ear infections happen more often during the winter? Ear infections are more prevalent during the winter because of a combination of flu...

The attempt to save money will hurt the hearing impaired.

Hearing aids will soon be available to purchase over the counter without a prescription since the passage of the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, which was signed into law by President Trump. This means that people who have a mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to purchase hearing aids without first obtaining a hearing exam. While this might sound like a good idea to many people, the ability to purchase hearing aids over the counter without getting a hearing exam may actually cause...