"I have a permanent hearing loss, hearing aids won't help."
Many people, including many physicians, believe the above statement is true. The reason for this belief is based on two things. First, permanent hearing loss, generally caused by age and/or significant exposure to excessive noise, is characterized by damage to the hair cells in the inner ear that transmit sound to the brain. Such a condition creates difficulty in hearing or understanding soft and even average levels of sound and conversation. However, loud sounds are often heard just as loudly as a person with normal hearing. Second, hearing aids that were available years ago were not equipped to make just soft sounds louder – they made all sounds louder, including loud sounds, creating an often intolerable experience for the person with permanent hearing loss.
Today, hearing aid technology has evolved sufficiently so that now hearing devices can automatically adjust to make soft sounds louder and then stop amplifying when loud sounds are present. This type of technology is specifically designed for persons with “permanent hearing loss.”
To determine what type of hearing condition you or a loved one might have, and whether today’s modern hearing technology could be helpful, it is always advisable to seek the care and counsel of a degreed audiologist.
AuDNet, Inc. is a nationwide network of independent audiology providers. All AuDNet audiologists have earned advanced university degrees in audiology, and are fully trained to interpret case histories, carefully test and evaluate all aspects of the auditory system, advise physicians on hearing loss and balance etiologies, and treat hearing loss and balance conditions that are not amenable to medical or surgical intervention.
The first consideration in seeking hearing care is the expertise and skill of the care giver. Through the AuDNet network of audiology providers, patients have an easy and effective way of insuring that they are receiving hearing care and treatment from qualified and highly trained audiologists.