Common Hearing Questions
What causes hearing loss?
There are numerous factors that can cause hearing loss – noise, disease, trauma, heredity, the aging process, impacted earwax, among others.
Why should I obtain help for my hearing loss?
Better hearing makes listening easier and less stressful and will improve your relationship with your family and friends and the quality of your life. If you think you have a hearing loss, you owe it to yourself and your family and friends to obtain a hearing evaluation and receive treatment if appropriate. At Advanced Hearing Care, we specialize in helping you re-connect with your loved ones through better hearing.
If I have a hearing loss – wouldn’t I certainly know it?
Not always. Most hearing loss develops slowly and gradually. Our own built-in mechanisms may make it difficult to know whether we have a hearing loss or not. We have ways of compensating for hearing loss without realizing it. That is why it is important to have your hearing evaluated. Our Doctors of Audiology at Advanced Hearing Care specialize in providing hearing evaluations for all ages.
Won’t my family physician be able to tell if I have a hearing loss?
Unfortunately, no. Most people with hearing loss hear well in a quiet environment which best describes the treatment room at your physician’s office. It can be virtually impossible for your physician to determine the extent of your problem. Only 14% of physicians screen for hearing loss during routine annual physicals.
Isn’t some hearing loss normal for your age?
Most people lose some hearing as they age but that shouldn’t mean that you don’t do anything about it. It happens to be “normal” for overweight people to have high blood pressure. That doesn’t mean that they should not be treated for the condition.
If I suspect a hearing loss, what should I do?
First, seek the professional advice of a board certified Doctor of Audiology who can evaluate your hearing loss and design a treatment program to improve your hearing and listening needs. Advanced Hearing Care is the oldest independent Audiology private practice East of the Cooper (Charleston area). We are respected by local physicians and trusted by our patients.
How long should I wait before obtaining help for my hearing loss?
Don’t wait! Act now! If you wait, you are just putting off relief for your hearing problems. The longer you wait to obtain help, the longer it will take your brain to re-learn how to process sounds. When you have a hearing loss, auditory deprivation occurs in the brain. As you lose hearing sensitivity, the signals to your brain weaken and the brain begins to not process certain sounds. It will take time for your brain to re-learn how to process speech and how to separate the speech from the noise. Receiving treatment for your hearing loss sooner rather than later will definitely allow for a better, more successful outcome. The Doctors of Audiology at Advanced Hearing Care will have you participate in a Listening and Communication Enhancement (LACE) program that will strengthen your auditory pathways to the brain and improve your ability to listen.
Why do people refuse help for their hearing loss?
Most people do not receive help for their hearing loss because they incorrectly fear that they will be viewed as older and no one likes to admit that they are getting older. Wearing hearing aids can make you more alert and appear more “youthful”. An untreated hearing loss is much more obvious than a hearing aid. Also, people have heard about others who have had negative experiences with hearing aids. Hearing aid technology has dramatically improved over the years. The Better Hearing Institute has conducted research that shows that 9 out of 10 people believe that the quality of their life has improved through the use of hearing aids. Advanced Hearing Care has more than a 95% success rate with patient hearing aid satisfaction.
Do I need to see an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist regarding my hearing?
Most hearing loss (90%) is nerve related and cannot be helped through the use of medicine or surgery. Our board certified Doctors of Audiology at Advanced Hearing Care have the expertise to determine whether your hearing loss needs to be evaluated by an ENT physician. If there are any medical concerns regarding your hearing loss, our Audiologists always refer on for medical consultation. We have a wonderful relationship with our local ENT physicians and refer mutually to one another.
What is the difference between an Audiologist and a Hearing Aid Dealer?
There are two types of hearing professionals who can conduct hearing tests: Audiologists and Hearing Aid Dispensers. Both must be licensed in the state of South Carolina to practice. The biggest difference is educational training. An Audiologist is a professional who has undergone extensive education and training from an accredited university program. The Audiologists at Advanced Hearing Care have received eight years of university training in the field of Audiology and hearing aid dispensing, are board certified and have an Au.D. (Doctor of Audiology) degree. We are trained to perform a number of diagnostic tests for hearing, balance and other ear-related neurological problems, as well as hearing aid dispensing and rehabilitation.
In the state of South Carolina, a Hearing Aid Dealer must have a high school degree and complete several months of training with a dealer in practice and complete a state examination in hearing aid dispensing. Hearing Aid Dealers are not licensed to perform diagnostic hearing evaluations but rather are able to give “free” basic hearing tests in order to select and fit hearing aids.
How will I know what hearing aids are right for me?
The Doctors of Audiology at Advanced Hearing Care are well qualified to lead you through the process of learning about hearing aid options, purchasing a hearing system and adjusting it to your personal circumstances. Based on the results of your hearing testing and other factors such as lifestyle, manual dexterity abilities, cosmetic concerns, listening needs and financial situation, you will be shown different styles of hearing aids and different technologies and recommendations will be made that are appropriate for you. The benefits of one versus two hearing aids to improve your hearing abilities will be discussed. Most importantly, our Doctors of Audiology are highly trained to make sure your hearing aids fit comfortably and appropriately and meet your listening needs.
What is involved with getting my hearing tested?
The Audiologists at Advanced Hearing Care will obtain a thorough case history including your lifestyle and listening needs. You will be placed in a sound treated room and listen to tones and speech words to determine what your hearing profile is along with testing of your middle and inner ear. The results of the diagnostic evaluation will be discussed and if a hearing loss is present, a detailed rehabilitation treatment program will be designed to improve your listening and speech understanding abilities.
How do I know when it’s time to purchase hearing aids?
Most of our patients reach a point where their frustration with hearing loss or their families’ frustration propels them into action. Advanced Hearing Care assists in the process of diagnosing the loss, learning how it can be treated and thoroughly explaining treatment options.
How effective are hearing aids?
Recent improvements in technology have enabled millions of people to enjoy better overall hearing by wearing hearing aids. Advanced Hearing Care patients who use hearing devices report improved speech understanding in both social and work environments, an easier time watching TV, movies, plays and talking on the phone. They feel less stressed and don’t have to work so hard to hear and participate in daily activities.
Today’s hearing aids are better suited to treat hearing loss than ever before. Digital technology has enabled the development of programmable hearing aids that can be effectively customized to better meet your individual hearing needs in different listening situations.
How much do hearing aids cost?
There is a wide range of cost when it comes to hearing aids. Cost will be highly dependent on the style and technology selected. The Audiologists at Advanced Hearing Care specialize in finding the right hearing aids for you that will improve the quality of your life and meet your financial budget. Twelve month interest free financing is available along with standard financing programs.
Can I try a hearing aid before I buy?
Yes! Advanced Hearing Care offers you the opportunity to “test drive” a hearing system to see what it sounds like in a variety of listening situations. While in our office, you will be given a listening demonstration to let you know first hand the benefits you can obtain by wearing hearing aids.
Should I get one or two hearing aids?
We hear with our brain and not with our ears. Our brain is wired to receive input from both of our ears. When we have a hearing loss in each ear, it makes sense to treat both ears and wear two hearing aids. If you have vision loss in each eye, do you wear a monocle? No! You wear a pair of corrective lenses. The same goes for your ears. You need less power/volume when you wear two hearing aids. Stereo listening gives depth perception. Two ears gives us the ability to localize better where sounds are coming from which can keep us from harms way. Better understanding requires both ears. Two ears hear better in noise.
What if I don’t adjust and want to return my hearing aids?
At Advanced Hearing Care, all of our hearing devices are dispensed with a 30 day evaluation period. If during this period, you decide that you cannot adapt to using hearing aids, you will be refunded your money back less a 10% professional services fee. At our practice, you have everything to gain and very little to lose in moving forward with a hearing health care program to improve your hearing abilities. We strive to not only meet your expectations but exceed them. Due to our extensive rehabilitation program and follow-up services, Advanced Hearing Care has less than 5% of our hearing instruments returned a year. The national average is close to 20%.
Do hearing aids really help reduce background noise?
Yes! Many of the technologies Advanced Hearing Care recommends have noise reduction features that will assist you in understanding speech better in noisy listening situations. Of course, overall benefit will depend on proper fit, frequency of use, the sophistication of the hearing aid circuitry, auditory rehabilitation and the severity of your hearing loss.
I’ve heard there is a new kind of hearing aid that doesn’t plug your ear up?
You are referring to the “Open Fit” technology. “Open Fit” hearing aids are designed to give the user a comfortable, cosmetic fit while providing natural sound quality without that “plugged up” feeling. This type of technology is for people who have some normal hearing in the lower frequencies accompanied by a high frequency hearing loss. Advanced Hearing Care dispenses many different kinds of “Open Fit” hearing aids. Our patients report great satisfaction. They are wearing these hearing aids longer than their old ones and comment that they are so comfortable in the ear that they don’t know that they are wearing them!
Will it be difficult to adapt to wearing hearing aids?
Wearing hearing aids definitely takes an adjustment period. For that reason, Advanced Hearing Care follows up with new hearing aid users regularly. Hearing aids are finely tuned medical devices that can have a profound effect on you as the user. For example, many of our patients report hearing sounds they have never heard before. It takes them some time to adjust to the new high or low frequencies that have been added to their hearing range. That is why we schedule return visits for our patients to assess progress, monitor changes and answer questions. Be patient and be positive! Once you reawaken to how easy communication can be, with the strain to hear greatly diminished, you will be surprised at how nice it is to rejoin the noisy world again!