Frequently Asked Questions

Hearing loss occurs to most people as they age. Hearing loss can be due to the aging process, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, infections, head or ear trauma, congenital (birth or prenatal) or hereditary factors, diseases, as well as a number of other causes.

There are many styles of hearing aids. The degree of the hearing loss, power and options requirements, manual dexterity abilities, cost factors, and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the style the patient will use.

Results of the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Loudness is plotted from top to bottom. Frequency, from low to high, is plotted from left to right.

All batteries are toxic and dangerous if swallowed. Keep all batteries (and hearing aids) away from children and pets.

When referring to hearing aids, digital typically means the hearing aid is 100% digital. In other words, the hearing aid is indeed a complete computer.

You may have certain communication needs that cannot be solved by the use of hearing aids alone.

The Eustachian tube is a narrow tube that connects the space behind the eardrum (the middle ear) with the back of the nose.

Dizziness is a symptom not a disease. It may be defined as a sensation of unsteadiness, imbalance, or disorientation.

Auditory Processing Disorders refers to the abnormal interaction of hearing, neural transmission and the brain's ability to make sense of sound.

Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation.

The auditory system involves highly complicated inner ear structures, many afferent and efferent nerve pathways and a great amount of nuclei.

Five thousand children are born profoundly deaf each year in the United States alone. Another 10 to 15 percent of newborns have a partial hearing handicap.

Chronic ear infection is the result of an ear infection that has left a residual injury to the ear.

Acoustic tumors are fibrous growths originating from the balance nerve and are not malignant.

An audiologist is a licensed healthcare professional who specializes in identifying, diagnosing, and managing hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance related concerns.