Hearing Aids Types

It’s frustrating to be unable to hear well enough to enjoy talking with friends or family. Hearing disorders make it hard, but not impossible, to hear. They can often be helped. Deafness can keep you from hearing sound at all.

What causes hearing loss? Some possibilities are

* Heredity
* Diseases such as ear infections and meningitis
* Trauma
* Certain medicines
* Long-term exposure to loud noise
* Aging

There are two main types of hearing loss. One happens when your inner ear or auditory nerve is damaged. This type is permanent. The other kind happens when sound waves cannot reach your inner ear. Earwax build-up, fluid or a punctured eardrum can cause it. Untreated, hearing problems can get worse. If you have trouble hearing, you can get help. Possible treatments include hearing aids, special training, certain medicines and surgery.

Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

If a hearing loss is ignored or untreated, it can get worse. But a hearing loss that is identified early can be helped through treatment, such as hearing aids, certain medicines, and surgery.

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, you could have a hearing problem and may need to have your hearing checked by a doctor.

* Do I have a problem hearing on the telephone?
* Do I have trouble hearing when there is noise in the background?
* Is it hard for me to follow a conversation when two or more people talk at once?
* Do I have to strain to understand a conversation?

* Do many people I talk to seem to mumble or not speak clearly?
* Do I misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
* Do I often ask people to repeat themselves?
* Do I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
* Do people complain that I turn the TV volume up too high?
* Do I hear a ringing, roaring, or hissing sound a lot?
* Do some sounds seem too loud?

If you think that you have a hearing problem, schedule an appointment with your family doctor. In some cases, he or she can identify the problem and prescribe treatment.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services