Acute external otitis or otitis externa is an infection of the outer ear canal – the portion outside the eardrum. Most people know it by its common name – swimmer’s ear. This type of infection was given the name “swimmer’s ear” because it’s frequently a result of water staying in the outer ear after swimming,
A number of the problems that cause hearing problems in our patients cannot be reversed which is frustrating for our hearing professionals. Damage to the very tiny, very sensitive hair cells of the inner ear is one of the more prevalent reasons for hearing loss. The work of these hair cells is to vibrate in
One of the most common questions we hear is, “My older hearing aid is broken or isn’t functioning the way it used to – do you think I should purchase a new one, or have it fixed?” The truthful answer has to be, “That depends.” Deciding between repair or replace does not have a one
For people reading this who’ve suffered some form of hearing impairment, do you ever find yourself needing to work really hard to understand what’s being said to you or around you? You are not alone. The sense that listening and understanding is taxing work is typical among people with hearing impairment – even the ones
What do Neil Young, Brian Wilson, 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. When I treat musicians, I have to tell them a sad but unavoidable fact of life – the very music they love
Patients frequently inquire why hearing in crowds is especially tough for them. When they are talking to people one-on-one, or in small groups of people there is no problem, and they seem to hear just fine. But when they find themselves in a large crowd they often find it very difficult to understand what the
Hearing aids have not in the past always worked well with mobile phones, because of electronic interference between the two devices that triggered static, whistling or screeching noises, or dropped words. Technology improvements along with new government regulations have largely eliminated this problem. Nowadays cell phone – hearing aid compatibility isn’t the huge problem it
The selection and purchase of a first hearing aid can be an overwhelming task for anyone. The publication Consumer Reports followed a dozen people over a period of six months as they shopped for their first hearing aid, and reported on it. After six months the disappointing results were in: these first-time hearing aid owners
Hearing loss comes in many forms – it might develop gradually (for example, due to aging) or suddenly (as the result of an injury or trauma). The hearing loss itself may be transient or permanent, and may vary from mild (having difficulty understanding conversations) to severe (complete deafness). Either a single ear can be affected
One aspect of hearing loss which is not often addressed is the basic decrease in safety of people who have experienced it. For example, suppose that a fire starts in your house; if you’re like most of us you have smoke detectors to sound an alert so that you and your loved ones can evacuate
Even though it may seem to be a simple question to ask just how long hearing aid batteries are good for, it isn’t. Precisely how long hearing aid batteries last depends on many factors. Battery life will depend on the model of your hearing aid, and may vary widely across unique models developed by the
When trying to understand the difference between analog and digital hearing aids, you need to first appreciate the history of analog vs digital, and the alternative ways that they amplify and process sounds. Analog technology appeared first, and as a result the majority of hearing aids were analog until digital signal processing (DSP) was developed,