Tips for Traveling with Hearing Loss
Are you gearing up for a summer trip somewhere soon? Traveling with hearing loss can pose some unique challenges. Thankfully, there are several tips to ensure that your trip goes more smoothly, whether you’re driving downstate to visit the grandchildren or heading to O’Hare International Airport to catch a flight for a tropical getaway. Ways…
Study of the Cochlea Could Lead to Hearing Aid Improvements
It’s a common misconception that hearing aids compensate for hearing loss the way eyeglasses compensate for poor vision. Instead, hearing aids amplify sounds to a level the wearer can easily detect. Rather than putting in your hearing aids and hearing perfectly the way you can put on glasses and see with 20/20 vision, it takes…
What is The Connection Between Neuroplasticity and Hearing Loss Treatment?
Hearing loss doesn’t just make it difficult to understand sounds. Over time, it can actually change the structure and function of your brain. What is Neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to adapt by forming new neural connections throughout life. These connections can be in response to: Receiving new information Sensory stimulation Damage or…
6 Active Listening Techniques for People with Hearing Loss
When you go on a hike on Heller Nature Center, you probably feel worn out afterward. For people with hearing loss, this feeling is common after a long conversation where you’re straining to hear and understand what is said. This phenomenon is known as listening fatigue. Below we review six active listening techniques to help…
What is Sudden Hearing Loss?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a medical emergency defined as an individual experiencing at least 30 dB of sensorineural hearing loss occurring over 3 days or less. It typically occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways to the brain. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a…
What is Unilateral Hearing Loss?
What is Single Sided Deafness? Sometimes referred to as unilateral hearing loss, single sided deafness is a condition in which an individual experiences hearing loss in only one ear but can hear normally out of the other ear. While most patients with a hearing impairment suffer from bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss, SSD affects approximately 60,000…
What is Sudden Hearing Loss?
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a medical emergency defined as an individual experiencing at least 30 dB of sensorineural hearing loss occurring over 3 days or less. It typically occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways to the brain. SSNHL are associated with head trauma (such…
What is Noise Induced Hearing Loss?
Exposure to loud noises can damage the hair cells of the inner ear, resulting in high-frequency hearing loss and/or tinnitus (ringing in the ears or head). The duration and amount of exposure determines the degree of damage to hearing and whether or not it is permanent. Cumulative noise exposure usually results in permanent hearing loss…
Can Hearing Loss Affect Your Career?
Hearing loss is incredibly common, affecting over 48 million Americans to some degree. Because hearing loss is so common in adults, it is no surprise that hearing loss in the workplace is a rising concern. Your hearing is a crucial part in how you communicate with the world. Hearing loss doesn’t only affect your ability…
July is Firework Safety Month
This July is Firework Safety Month, and we want to educate our patients on how fireworks can affect their hearing health. Although beautiful to watch, fireworks can be dangerous. Not only are they explosives that can cause physical harm if not used correctly, but they can also cause hearing loss. The loud sound produced by…