What is a hearing test and does it hurt?

One in six people in UK experience some form of hearing loss, but perhaps unsurprisingly a large percentage of people have never had a hearing assessment or sought professional advice. One of the barriers stopping people for taking this step is the ‘going into the unknown’.

I thought it might be a good idea to briefly explain what to expect from having a hearing test and hopefully help to eradicate any fears you may have.

Having a hearing test is simple, doesn’t hurt and won’t take too much of your time. A full hearing assessment will be performed by a hearing aid audiologist who is a healthcare professional, highly-trained in the prevention, identification, assessment and non-medical treatment of hearing disorders.

The first part of a hearing test is called the case history: you’ll be asked about your medical history, current medical issues, medications, hearing loss symptoms, family history of hearing loss, history of noise exposure, your hearing concerns, etc. This will provide the hearing aid audiologist with an overview of your medical situation and will help them in assessing the hearing test results as well as assist in determining the necessity of a medical referral following the hearing test.

Next the hearing professional will examine your ear canals and eardrum with a specialised ear light called an otoscope. This is necessary to check for issues such as wax in your ear canal or infection of the outer ear.

Finally, it is time to begin the hearing test itself. You will be placed in a sound treated test booth or a quiet room. During the hearing test, a series of tones of different frequencies (also known as pitches) as well as speech signals will be presented to each ear separately through earphones. You will respond to test signals either by pushing a button, or in the case of speech signals, repeating what was heard.

The lowest levels of the test signals you can hear at least half of the time are called your hearing thresholds. Thresholds are recorded for each frequency and each ear on a chart called an audiogram.

Once your type and degree of hearing loss has been determined, your hearing care professional will be able to decide how much amplification you will need; they may then show you a range of instruments appropriate for your individual hearing loss and together you can decide what is right for you.

My final words of wisdom…

Take the opportunity to look after yourself and those you love by having your hearing checked; take positive steps to actively protect the precious sense that allows you to hear your world- your hearing.

New Apple Watch That Controls Your Hearing Aids

For today's blog post i wanted to let you all know a little more about the latest hearing aid technology with instruments that can be controlled by the new Apple Watch.

The aids are manufactured by ReSound, which has developed the first app that allows hearing aid wearers to control their instrument from their new Apple Watch. This is the latest in Smart Hearing – with the most discrete control available anywhere.

This free app allows control of volume, treble and bass levels, pre-programmed settings for different places (local restaurant, café, sports stadium, office, home) and view of the setting selected – right from their wrist. The app is called ReSound Smart™ and is available now from the App Store.

This development in hearing aid technology, connectivity and control follows swiftly on from the launch last year by ReSound of the world’s first made for iPhone hearing aid – ReSound LiNX.

ReSound calls this combination of audiology, connectivity, design and apps ‘Smart Hearing’. It delivers hearing aid wearers the most advanced and natural hearing experience.

Interested users can get immediate access to the ReSound Smart app for Apple Watch by visiting the App Store and downloading the latest version of the ReSound Smart app (3.0.1).

More information about ReSound’s portfolio of smart hearing aids can be accessed by visiting www.resound.com.

 

‘Molly Watts, a young woman with Ushers Syndrome explores some of the real world benefits of the Watch when paired with Smart Hearing aids. It’s a fascinating and moving account by an inspiring young woman and well worth a read.’

http://www.mollywatt.com/blog/entry/my-ears-my-eyes-my-apple-watch

Air Travel and Ear Pain

With the summer holiday season fast approaching, more and more of us will be jetting off to far flung destinations around the world. Whilst traveling by plane many of us will experience issues with our ears due to pressure.  In rare cases these problems can lead to severe pain and hearing loss, so it is best to take precautions, before, during and after a flight. 

As an Audiologist, I thought it would be good to explain what happens to our ears when we fly…

It really comes down to air pressure. Normally the air pressure inside the inner ear and the air pressure outside are essentially the same, or at least not different enough to cause any trouble. Even if you were to hike to the top of a tall mountain, the slow speed of your ascent would allow time for the pressure to equalise along the way. A problem only occurs when the change in altitude is so rapid that the pressure inside the inner ear and the air pressure outside don’t have time to equalise, as occurs in air travel. 

When your flight takes off, and begins its ascent, the air pressure inside the inner ear quickly surpasses that of the pressure outside. The eardrum swells outward. Picture a loaf of bread baking, and you get the idea. Conversely if air pressure inside the inner ear rapidly becomes less than the air pressure outside, the tympanic membrane (the eardrum) will be sucked inward, almost like a vacuum effect. What has happened is that the Eustachian tube (which links our ears with our throat) has flattened and needs a bit of extra help from you in order to continue to do its job of bringing air into the inner ear. Whether ascending or descending, that stretching not only causes the eardrum not to vibrate (thus the muffled sounds) but also causes the pain you feel. 

Everyone who has flown in a plane has felt the effects of a change in altitude on ears; a feeling of fullness and popping is commonplace. You need to equalise the pressure by introducing as much air as possible via the Eustachian tube and there are a number of ways to do that. 

The easiest way to equalise the pressure is to swallow. When you swallow, that clicking or popping sound you may hear is actually a tiny bubble of air that has moved from the back of the nose into the middle ear, via the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube ensures that the air in the middle ear is constantly being re-supplied. That air is then absorbed into the membranes of the inner ear, and the cycle starts over again. This constant cycle of air ensures that the air pressure on both sides stays equal. When you fly, the trick is to ensure that the Eustachian tubes work overtime and open more frequently to accommodate the change in air pressure. 

Chewing gum or sucking on a hard boiled sweet will help; for infants, whose Eustachian tubes are much narrower than an adult’s, the change in air pressure can be even more excruciating, so a bottle or dummy is recommended to increase swallowing. 

Other ways of equalising the pressure include:

• Avoid sleeping during ascent or descent
• Drink lots of fluids in-flight to stay hydrated
• Yawn
• EarPlanes: Specially designed ear plugs that have a filter to equalise pressure
• Nasal spray: Take only when needed as overuse of nasal sprays can end up causing more congestion

Karen Finch is the Managing Director and lead audiologist at The Hearing Care Centre.
The multi-award winning, family-run company has 20 centres across Suffolk and Norfolk.
For more information visit www.hearingcarecentre.co.uk or call 01473 230330.

Osteoporosis and Hearing Loss: What’s the Connection?

Evidence is emerging that suggests a link between osteoporosis and sudden hearing loss, with a new study showing that SSNL (sudden sensorineural hearing loss) is almost twice as common among people with osteoporosis. 

SSNL is a sudden, unexplained loss of hearing that typically happens in one ear. It can happen all at once or over the course of a few days. 

 

Osteoporosis, which means ‘porous bones’, happens when bones lose density and mass at a rate of 3-4% per year. Small-boned women of European and Asian heritage past the age of menopause are particularly vulnerable, although men can have osteoporosis too.  When bones become brittle because of osteoporosis, they break very easily. A simple fall, bending over or even coughing can be enough to break a bone if a person suffers from osteoporosis. 

 

It’s not immediately clear why SSNL is more common among people with osteoporosis, but a recent study conducted in Taiwan found a 1.76-fold increase in the incidence of SSNL for patients with osteoporosis compared to a control group. And patients with more severe osteoporosis appeared to have a higher risk of hearing loss than those with milder osteoporosis.

 

It is difficult to say by there is a link between sudden hearing loss and osteoporosis however inflammation, bone demineralisation, and cardiovascular risk factors may all be contributing factors.

 

If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis please do ensure that you book to have a hearing assessment. At least this way we can obtain a bench mark set of results for us to compare to over time. This takes no more than 30 minutes and provides us with a large amount of relevant information to assist in advising an action plan. In fact lots of my work is about educating the people of Suffolk and Norfolk to take proactive steps with their hearing!

 

It is worth noting that around 85% of the people who are treated for SSRL recover at least some of their hearing, but early treatment is key, as urgent medical treatment for SSRL is vital.

 

Make sure you keep your hearing ability high on your agenda in the same way you do your eyes and your teeth, regular checks are necessary for all ages.

Introducing Phonak Bolero V and CROS II Hearing Aids

Phonak Bolero V 

The Finest in Performance and Reliability

Phonak Bolero V Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids feature Phonaks latest high-performance technology and are designed to provide you a seamless listening experience, even in the most challenging environments. In an appealing and robust design, Bolero V is available in four performance levels and offers a wide choice of colours to either blend in or stand out from your hair or skin tone. You benefit from a better all-around hearing performance with additional reliability and ease of use.

• Newly designed models at different performance levels
• Water resistant and dust tight
• Connects to the entire Phonak Wireless Communication Portfolio

Styles and Colours

Phonak Bolero V is designed to suit your individual style and preferences. It comes in a choice of 11 colours, so you can match your personality, hair or skin with either vibrant or subtle tones.

 

Phonak Programs, Features & Benefits

Thanks to unique and unmatched features you will be able to capture more of the voices and sounds you want and need to hear. Actively holding a conversation while enjoying the outdoors on a windy day or focusing on a single voice in a noisy crowd. These are just two examples of challenging environments where you will be able to communicate and understand more with ease.

More Information

Call The Hearing Care Centre on 01473 230330. 

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Phonak CROS II

The smart solution for single-sided deafness

Phonak CROS II is the discreet wireless CROS transmitter based on the Venture platform. It transmits the sound from the ear with no hearing to a hearing aid on the better hearing ear. As a result, persons can hear speech from the side they have not heard from before.

CROS II will transmit sound and voices to let your good ear hear for both your ears. If you have good hearing in one ear and non hearing in the other, then CROS II will work for you. CROS stands for ‘Contralateral Routing of Signal’ and consists of two parts:

• The CROS aid with a microphone to pick up sounds and voices from the non-hearing ear and wirelessly transmit them to the hearing aid.
• The hearing aid to receive the signal from the non-hearing ear and play it to your good ear.

With CROS II, you will immediately feel included in a conversation, regardless of the situation. Whether at dinner with friends or in a meeting at work, you don’t have to position yourself so that everyone sits on your good side.

More Information

Call The Hearing Care Centre on 01473 230330.