Hearing Loss Reasons

ore and more devices going digital these days, it is no surprise that hearing aids should also follow suit. Digital hearing aids have seen a continuous growth in demand these past few years, despite beign a tad more expensive than its analog counterparts. Digital hearing aids first appeared on the market during the late 1980s and despite the price (digital hearing aids can cost up to 6,000 a pair, quite a hefty sum compared to analog hearing aids at –), people, especially the newly diagnosed, are going for the digital stuff. Heres why.

Size

Digital hearing aids are smaller and more functional than their analog predecessors. New models can now be tucked safely behind or inside the ear. This is a pro for most users, especially those who want to keep their use of hearing aids less conspicuous. However, a smaller size may be a deterrent to older hearing aid users who are used to the larger but more user-friendly models in the past.

Better Sound Quality

Digital hearing aids produce a crisp, clear quality of auditory sounds. It can also distinguish between sounds of speech and background noise and eliminate the unnecessary noise to make speech more clear to the user. This has led to a better level of speech recognition and understanding in users of digital hearing aids, and today, most hearing aids are now programmed to help the user talk on the phone.

Flexibility

Because digital hearing aids are self-adjusting, they can easily adapt to the wearers specific pattern of hearing loss. Apart from being flexible enough to program itself the wearers pattern of hearing loss, it also allows for greater precision in fitting, management of loudness, control of feedback and background noise reduction. Feedback is controlled through a cancellation system or notch filtering, which is essential in users who suffer from occasional feedback like small children.

However, it is still up to your physician to determine what kind of hearing aid is right for your condition. Despite the advantages of digital hearing aids, some folks seem to do fine with the use of analog models. It is a sure fact, though, that as technology continues to improve, individuals with hearing deafness can take comfort in the fact that the cost of digital hearing aids will likely go down as the number of manufacturers who are clamoring for a piece of the digital hearing aid market continues to grow.

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Hearing deafness is a condition that affects many in the population. Nearly one third of Americans are experiencing some type of hearing loss, the majority of which are aged 65 and above. Hearing deafness is the third most common condition affecting elderly Americans, after hypertension and arthritis.

Hearing deafness is not an easy condition. It causes difficulty in expression through language, makes understanding of spoke language difficult, and predisposes the individual to social isolation. Hearing difficulties also predisposes the sufferer to accidents since loss of hearing can make them oblivious to warning bells and sounds.

Causes

There are many causes for hearing deafness. Some possibilities are:

Genetics

Diseases like diabetes and chronic infection

Trauma from an accident

As a side effect of medications like vancomycin and gentamycin and some anti-cancer drugs

Aging

Long-term exposure to loud noise or very loud, sudden sounds (i.e. from a gunshot next to ones ear)

Fusion of ear bones

Types of Hearing Deafness

Hearing deafness is categorized into three broad types. These are conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss occurs as a result of a structural defect or obstruction in the ear. A blocked ear canal is one example of a cause for conductive hearing loss, and is one which is very easy to treat. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the vestibucochlear nerve or any of the hair cells in the Organ of Corti, which causes a reduction in the conduction of sound. This can be treated by surgery, the use of hearing aids, or cochlear implants. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in the same ear. The problem occurs both in the outer or middle and inner ear.

Implications of Hearing Deafness

Depending on the age of the onset of the condition, hearing deafness can be mild, moderate or severe. Even mild hearing deafness can have serious implications for very young children who are still learning to talk. Children who have some degree of hearing difficulties will also need special education to help them learn in areas like regular speech, language and auditory training, sign language, how to find favorable seating in order to facilitate observation of the speaker as well as counseling to minimize the emotional effects of the condition on the child.

When it comes to the elderly, once the need for surgery or the use of hearing aids is established, care must be taken to assist the individual in deciding the mode of treatment for her or him. Often older people are hesitant about using hearing aids, especially if they are easily intimidated by technology. Family members must be careful not to push their hearing impaired parents in to wearing hearing aids, since this can only lead to stronger resistance. Counseling is also encouraged. Family members must also be aware that the elderly, especially those who are hearing impaired but do not wear hearing-assistive devices are at a greater risk for injury and accidents.

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With the popularity of digital devices and the digital technology, it is no wonder that digital hearing devices sell so quickly. In addition to digital technology used for entertainment purposes, digital hearing devices are using technology to help people who have a hearing problem. With the advances in the digital hearing technology, many people who have suffered from hearing loss can regain at least some of their hearing.

If you are a candidate to receive a digital hearing instrument, you will receive one specifically made for your hearing problem level. With digital signal processing (DSP), the digital hearing instrument takes a sound and processes it through a tiny chip. Those numbers are entered into the hearing aid. From there, the sounds convert back into their original form. They are processed through the hearing aid so that the listener can interpret those sounds.

The ability to re-convert sound waves numerically allows digital hearing aids to amplify speech and quiet loud and unwanted background noise. Because each individual has different hearing needs, and because a hearing problem varies from patient to patient, audiologists are able to customize each digital hearing device according to what the listener interprets for different environments. This means that a patient can have their digital hearing aid programmed to pick up soft sounds, if that is where their hearing impairment lies.

Digital hearing aids also have the capability of “adaptive directionality.” This hearing aid technology allows the hearing aid to address sounds coming from various directions in a different manner. Someone wearing a digital hearing device with this type of technology can comfortably listen to someone speaking in front of him or her without having noises from behind interrupt the sound waves. This, in turn, maximizes speech quality in noisy places like restaurants, shopping malls, or grocery stores.

Digital hearing aids have also eliminated the problem of -whistling- or -squealing- by infiltrating adaptive feedback management into this type of hearing instrument. DSP, which helps tailor sounds for the individual, also allows for the microphone inside the hearing aid to minimize amplified sounds too. In older analog models, the sound wave returns to the microphone re-amplified, causing a -whistling- to occur.

Digital hearing devices have made many technological advances in the last few decades. There is room for improvement, though. As researchers and doctors continue to study the DSP technology, they will likely find ways to make them more readily available and more effective for a large number of people. Fueled by the fact that these digital hearing instruments are helping to make life easier for many people, researchers are optimistic for the advances that they can make in the near future.

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