Hearing loss can happen to anyone, no matter your age or background. That being said, certain groups of people are more likely to develop hearing loss on average.

Men in particular are at a greater risk of developing hearing loss than women, a phenomenon that has intrigued audiologists for years. In fact, a study by Johns Hopkins University in 2008 found the risk of hearing loss for men is five times greater than it is for women. Age and race both play a factor in this data, as the gap between men and women usually begins around age thirty, with white men displaying the highest prevalence of hearing loss.

Occupational hearing loss in men
Contrary to what you may think, this disparity is not the result of a difference in biology. If you consider the types of jobs that are typically performed by men, many of them involve regular exposure to extreme noise from their equipment and environment.

While the law requires that workers be provided ear protection in conditions where unsafe volumes are present, a large number of men still neglect to take care of their hearing on the job. If you feel like your workplace is posing a threat to your hearing or are concerned that your hearing loss is not being accommodated, please consult our article on how to discuss your condition at work.

Behavioral risk factors
Since men and women are both born with the same level of hearing, audiologists have concluded that behavioral factors play a huge role in establishing the hearing loss gap. Smoking and certain health conditions such as high blood pressure or heart disease are known to cause hearing loss. These issues are more common in men, confirming the findings in many studies. In another study by the American Journal of Medicine, regular use of NSAIDs and other pain relievers like aspirin and acetaminophen can lead to early hearing loss in men under 60.

Addressing the stigma of hearing loss in men
Despite these risk factors, men are still more likely to avoid being fitted with a hearing aid than women. This could be the result of a stigma against hearing aid use or a fear that wearing a medical instrument will be seen as a sign of weakness. These fears couldn’t be further from the truth, as there is no more shame in correcting hearing loss with hearing aids than correcting a vision problem with eyeglasses. In addition, addressing hearing loss early is known to help prevent the early onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease while also protecting from falls and feelings of depression or anxiety.

Many people don’t realize that there are different types of hearing loss. Some affect the ear’s ability to hear higher frequencies, while others muffle or silence lower ones. Male hearing loss typically robs the ear of high-frequency hearing first, while the opposite is true for women. The result? Men have a hard time understanding consonant sounds that contain higher pitches, and women struggle to understand the deep, rounder sounds of vowels. With these hidden factors at play, it’s no wonder so many couples have trouble communicating!

Get help today
Hearing loss in men doesn’t have to be an epidemic. Consulting a hearing care professional at the first sign of hearing loss is the most effective way to treat your condition and prevent it from worsening. If you are worried about your hearing or that of a loved one, please use our online locator to schedule an appointment with a hearing care professional in your area today.

If your ears have ever been clogged with water after a dip in the ocean or pool, you know how frustrating it is when you’re still feeling the effects days later. This condition is the result of a bacterial infection called acute otitis externa (more commonly known as swimmer’s ear) and is often harmless, but it can have consequences for your hearing health if left untreated.

Swimmer’s ear and your hearing
Swimmer’s ear can develop after spending time in any body of water, but it is especially common in the untreated water found in lakes, rivers, and oceans, or in hot tubs. Because of the higher levels of bacteria in these areas, water trapped in the ear is more likely to lead to a painful skin infection, as the inner ear is the perfect breeding ground for fungi or bacteria to grow. Irritating the skin with certain hair products is also known to worsen the condition when an infection is present.

When this condition spreads, it can do damage to more than just the ear. Many people with swimmer’s ear also experience ear pain and pressure, slight redness of the skin, pus or fluid drainage, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. In more severe cases, a temporary or permanent hearing loss can occur when the sensitive organs of the inner ear are compromised and the infection spreads to the brain and base of the skull.

It’s not hard to imagine why this is the case. The inner ear is filled with thousands of tiny hair cells that register sound qualities, and these hearing nerve cells are very fragile and cannot regenerate. When an infection damages them, a small part of your hearing is lost forever. For this reason, it is important to consult a hearing care professional for any ear-related concerns as soon as symptoms arise to prevent a minor case of swimmer’s ear from becoming a hearing loss emergency.

When to seek help
There are a few ways to tell if your inner ear may be infected because of trapped water. If your ear itches or hurts while chewing or when the earlobe is tugged, or if your hearing seems quieter or more muffled than usual because of a clogged sensation, you should seek help immediately. After examining your ear with an otoscope, your hearing care professional will likely prescribe an antibiotic and/or antifungal eardrop. Patients are also usually advised to avoid swimming and flying to allow the ear to heal. If properly treated, swimmer’s ear should disappear in less than 14 days.

How to prevent swimmer’s ear
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep your ears safe no matter where you decide to take a swim. Your hearing care professional can recommend earplugs or custom molded ear protection to block water from entering the ear canal.

Before stepping into a pool, make sure the water is filtered or chlorinated so you can avoid high levels of bacteria. If you are swimming in a natural body of water, avoid stagnant areas and see if the water’s sanitation levels are publicly available ahead of time.

After a swim, you may want to attempt to drain water from your ears at home. The safest ways to do this are to lay your head on its side, chew or yawn to pop your ears and release pressure, or apply a warm compress or steam to your ear. While some people recommend using a blow dryer to evaporate the water, the loud noise of the appliance could do further damage to your hearing and should be avoided.

Find a professional
If you or a loved one has been complaining of ear pain or sudden hearing loss after spending time in the water, don’t wait. Use our online locator to find a hearing care professional in your area who can perform a hearing test and provide treatment to prevent this condition from worsening.

While today’s hearing aids are designed to protect against moisture, dirt, and debris, they are not indestructible. If you’re going on vacation this summer, your getaway may present several situations that could potentially damage your hearing aids. Exposing yourself to extreme heat and humidity or jumping into the pool without taking out your hearing aids could lead to costly repairs and extra visits to your hearing care professional’s office. Wherever your travels take you this summer, keep the following tips in mind.

For those who prefer the ocean…
When visiting a tropical paradise, the three biggest threats to your hearing instruments are water, humidity, and sand.

WATER
As of today, there are currently no hearing aids on the market that are labeled as waterproof. Some devices may be able to withstand more exposure to moisture than others, but in general you should try to keep your devices dry and away from the pool or ocean. Keep your hearing aids stored in a secure case while tanning or swimming, as even a small amount of water can damage the microphone, receiver, tubing, and more.

HUMIDITY
If you wear glasses, you have probably noticed that a layer of steam appears on the lenses when you move from a humid area to an air-conditioned one. This condensation may be harmless for your glasses, but it can cause serious damage to a hearing aid if left unchecked. You may need to remove your hearing aids often in humid environments to dry them, or you may consider purchasing an electric hearing aid dryer.

SAND
It’s not uncommon to find sand in your ears or pockets days after visiting the beach. These fine grains stick to anything, and your hearing aids are no exception. Before you reinsert your hearing aids, wash your hands thoroughly to prevent any excess sand from clogging your device and causing problems with functionality.

For hikers and adventurers…
Whether you are exploring the Grand Canyon or biking through a trail, you’ll want to have your hearing aids with you to take in all the breathtaking sounds nature has to offer. With the proper maintenance and care, you can keep your hearing aids functioning optimally no matter your lifestyle or level of activity.

If your vacations involve a lot of exercise, you should be prepared to fight against sweat and heat as well as high winds and debris.

SWEAT
As mentioned above, hearing aids are designed to fight back against only a moderate amount of moisture exposure and will not react well to being drenched. Try to keep a sweat rag with you to wipe excess perspiration away from your ears. If you’re prone to sweating, consider purchasing some nylon hearing aid sleeves to keep your devices dry.

HEAT
Your hearing aids should be shielded from extreme heat sources to keep their internal parts from becoming damaged. When not in use, your hearing aids should be stored in a dry, cool area away from windows or direct sunlight.

HIGH WINDS AND DUST
Certain dry areas, particularly in the Midwestern United States, can generate high amounts of wind that blow around dust and other particles. You wouldn’t want to inhale this dust, and neither do your hearing aids—keep a hearing aid cleaning kit with you at all times to unclog any debris.

Daily maintenance is key
While these conditions are more extreme than what you will experience on a daily basis with a hearing aid, it is still important to begin a routine of cleaning your devices daily to prevent any performance issues. For more information on how to clean and maintain your hearing aids, please click here.

If you are planning a vacation this summer, we also suggest scheduling an appointment with a hearing care professional to have your hearing and devices tested to ensure they are working their best. This way, you will be more prepared to enjoy your time off without having to worry about fixing your device—just don’t forget to bring extra batteries in case of an emergency!

1. First of all, we should choose hearing aids with guaranteed quality. As the saying goes, we should not buy inferior products at a low price.

2. Choose an appropriate earplug to connect with earphone according to the size of the ear cof the wearer. There are differences in the size of each ear canal. If the size of the earplug is not selected properly, it could not be wore or easily fall off.

3. Put in the appropriate battery, open the battery compartment cover, and put in a small battery of the corresponding model. Generally, a675 batteries are used. Pay attention to the direction of the positive and negative poles.

4. After the battery is installed, you can choose to control NO and Volume. The small circle that can be scrolled on one side of the hearing aid is the adjustment setting. 5 / 6 put the ear hook on the back of the ear, and put the earplug into the ear canal. Pay attention to ensure that it has certain stability after wearing on the ear.

6. If you don't use it, you can take it down and put it in a small box. The original box is the best, so that it won't be lost or damaged.

 

Hello, if your hearing aid has not been tested and matched by yourself, then this situation cannot be avoided. If your hearing aid has been tested and matched by yourself and can be fitted according to your actual needs, you can reflect this problem with your fitting examiner and let him do the fitting for you, but it also depends on the function of the machine you choose.

 

1. Whether the hearing aids are selected according to their own hearing conditions. Whether the hearing aids suitable for their own hearing loss are the premise of listening comfort;

 

2. The performance of the selected hearing aids is not strong enough, which is related to the price. The high-end hearing aids now have automatic switching procedures, scene recognition functions, automatic sound scene tracking, speech positioning, detection and positioning of all aspects of speech and noise sources, so as to improve the speech voice colleagues and reduce the noise;

 

3. If there is no problem with the performance of the hearing aid, it is recommended to go to the hearing fitting center for fitting to improve listening comfort. All of suggestions above are based on the fact that the hearing aid you selected is a digital hearing aid. Analog hearing aid cannot be changed.

Baby hearing test is generally taken when baby is seven days after delivery, 42 days after delivery, and three to six months. If a six-month baby fails hearing test, I don't know how many times he fails before. If it has never been tested before, then the result of the first screening is likely to be inaccurate, or temporary. It is recommended to continue the test in two days.

The causes of inaccurate screening include cold, stuffy nose, fever, sore throat, cough, children's milk, choking milk and so on. In order to ensure the accuracy of screening, attention should be paid during hearing screening to avoid hearing screening under the above circumstances (if the screening fails due to the above reasons, timely medical intervention and good prognosis). It is recommended that the cold and After the improvement of throat pain, fever and other conditions, continue to screen.

If the results of multiple tests are the same, first of all, we need to see if there is any foreign body in baby’s ear canal or if there is fluid in the middle ear, then we need to do a cochlear vestibule test to see if it is a problem of cochlear vestibule development. Finally, we need to do a brainstem auditory evoked potential test to confirm. If any problem is found, corresponding measures shall be taken immediately, such as manual intervention e.g. wearing hearing aids.

Most of hearing test are a false alarm, once twice did not pass, and finally passed. In terms of baby's hearing, I need to remind you that when your baby is full of sleep and food after delivery, you should prepare more colorful things. It's the best to be active, to exercise your baby's eyesight, and some sound things, such as wind bells or some toys, to exercise the baby's hearing. Parents can also take a small bell in the baby The left side of the baby's ears and the right side of the baby's ears can also observe the baby's hearing.

Before wearing the hearing aid, the ear canal is open. The sound is transmitted to the eardrum through the ear canal, and part of the sound energy will be reflected. 

After wearing the hearing aid, this part of the sound will not be reflected, and it will be transmitted to the auditory nerve through the eardrum membrane. It will feel stuffy or echo. In general, people with low frequency are more likely to feel stuffy. First of all, the patients should make sure that the ear impression is suitable for the comfort of ear mold and the shell of customized machine. If the patient is wearing hearing aids and feels that the ears are stuffy, they should find a fitting examiner to solve the problem from the hardware and software aspects at the first time, especially for the users with two ears. Do not take only one hearing aid as a response. Or choose a hearing aid that can be opened for fitting, which can solve the problem of stuffy ears.

How to choose a right hearing aid?

All hearing aids from major brands are good as long as they are authentic. In terms of the price of hearing aids, there will be great differences due to the different functions of the hearing aids, such as sound compression processing technology, feedback management technology, noise reduction, direction technology, frequency shift technology, Bluetooth technology, as well as the number of frequency bands and channels. Finally, the selection of hearing aids will be based on the user's hearing situation, aesthetic and functional requirements, as well as economic tolerance and other aspects of comprehensive consideration. It's not the more expensive the better, it's the best fit!

Finally, after-sales service should also be considered, because the hearing aid needs to be maintained and fitted usually. Moreover, the listening situation and the use environment will change. When the use effect is not good, you need to go to the store for fitting. It may also be a hearing loss. It should be re tested after hearing. So find a reliable, after-sales good hearing aid organization. You can go to the store to try and see the contrast.

What are the specific functions of hearing aids?

Hearing aid uses the acoustic principle to amplify the sound wave and transmit it to the ear, so that the hearing loss user can hear the sound. Nowadays, there are many kinds of full digital multi-channel hearing aids. The advantages of wearing hearing aids are mainly to compensate for hearing, positioning, improve speech recognition rate, etc.. In terms of function, they mainly include the improvement of intelligent scene recognition, noise reduction, microphone technology, compression, frequency shift and other advanced technologies, which will also help patients in terms of speech clarity of various frequencies. When we confirm the hearing loss, we choose a hearing aid suitable for ourselves, and the next work is hearing rehabilitation. Although hearing aids will not improve your hearing loss, they will slow down your hearing loss. After a period of wearing, speech and voice stimulation, speech resolution will gradually improve. That is to say, as long as you wear hearing aids all the year round, you will hear more clearly than before on the basis of hearing. Hearing aids suggest that the majority of hearing aid wearers should not only wear hearing aids when they need them, but keep wearing. Sound is everywhere, and only by keeping to wearing hearing aids can they benefit.

In addition, hearing aids should be professionally matched, and the right one is the best. Once hearing loss is found, seek medical advice in time, find out, treat and intervene with hearing aids as early as possible. The wearing effect of hearing aids is actually different from person to person. Even if the same hearing aid is used, the wearing effect of different hearing loss may vary greatly. Each person's hearing situation and nature are different, and the scene demand is also different. Therefore, it is better to recommend the wearer to go to a professional hearing test center for audition experience evaluation before selecting it.

What's the matter with the sizzling noise in the receiver of hearing aid?

There are two kinds of whistling of hearing aids: one is internal whistling when there is a problem inside the hearing. The internal whistling is caused by the small space, which causes the parts of the machine to be squeezed together. And it also whistle if the hearing aids fall. The other is external squealing if the ear mold is too small or sound tube breaks. There is also a problem of fitting. If the MPO is adjusted to the full scale, it will also generate a whistling.

Simply to say, if the capacity of a cup is 10ml of water, you add 15ml of water, then the water will overflow. The full scale gain of the hearing aid is also a problem. Only when the gain is excessive, can the acoustic feedback be generated to generate a whistling, so if the hearing aid emits sizzling noise , it's better to go to the hearing aid fitting center to see whether it's internal or external whistling, and then see whether it's the ear mold problem after the professional judges it.

How can hearing aids keep away from moisture? Use tips

 

The hearing aid needs to be waterproof and moisture-proof during use. Generally, it needs to be maintained in the fitting center once every three months. In summer and winter, it can be maintained once every month. During daily use, attention should be paid to waterproof. It shall be removed when take a shower and face washing. When resting, open the battery compartment and put it in the drying box for drying. If the water is not careful, do not use the hair dryer to dry it.

 

We need to know that hearing aids are sophisticated electronic devices. Once its chip is corroded, it will affect the performance of hearing aid. So we must pay attention to waterproof and moisture-proof. First of all, do not wear hearing aids in rainy days or when wash your face, head, bath, swim. Secondly, in summer, sweat should be wiped in time to keep the hearing aid dry and prevent sweat from invading and corroding the machine. In addition, those who wear ear back hearing aids should pay attention to whether there is water or damp in the acoustic pipe, and if it is blocked, it should be cleaned and dried in time. Besides, hearing aid should be regularly maintained and dehumidified. To sleep, take off the battery compartment, open it and put it in the drying box. If you don't wear a hearing aid for a long time, take out the battery and put it in the drying box or electronic nursing treasure. Also pay attention to the color of the drying material in the drying box, and replace it if it fails.

The hearing aid itself has background noise. No matter whether it is adjusted by the fitter or not, this is the current sound of the machine itself, which is self-contained and generally has little impact. If the sound quality of the hearing aid is not adjusted well, it depends on the level of the match examiner and the performance of the hearing aid. A good hearing aid has a good performance. It has a strong noise processing function, and the noise is not so obvious. If you think there is noise, go to the fitting center for debugging.

1. First of all, clarify what you mean by noise. The hearing aid itself has background noise. No matter how good or bad the fitting is, it's the current sound of the machine itself. It's self-contained, natural, and generally has little impact.

2. If the sound quality of the hearing aid is not adjusted well, it depends on the level of the fitting examiner and the performance of the hearing aid. First of all, professional fitting examiner can do the fitting and make it just good. It's loud but doesn't make noise; It can hear in a low voice, and it doesn't feel bothered by noise.

How to deal with the poor effect of hearing aids in rainy days?

No sound in rainy days-- it can be understood that the hearing aid is wet in rainy days, resulting in no sound;

It can also be understood that the sound of rain on a rainy day is too loud to cover the speech sound. If you can't hear it clearly, you mistakenly think there is no sound, right? If it is the first case, it is recommended that you do not wear a hearing aid to get wet in rainy days.

 It is easy to damage the fine parts in the hearing aid when it is damp. Because of the high humidity in rainy days, you need to dry and maintain it as soon as possible. In the second case, it is recommended that you go to the hearing aid fitting center as soon as possible to ask the fitting examiner to check whether the sound outlet of the hearing aid is blocked, whether the battery needs to be replaced, and whether the parameters of the hearing aid need to be readjusted. It is recommended that hearing aids be maintained twice a week in rainy seasons.

If the hearing aid fails, you can first check whether the battery is sufficient and whether it is wore correctly. If there is still a problem, you can take the warranty card to the fitting center for inspection. The fitting examiner will handle it in time if he can handle it in the store. If not, the store will return it in time to the factory for maintenance.

If the hearing aid is broken, you can take the warranty card to the place where the hearing aid was originally selected for inspection. If it is a problem with parts, it needs to be returned to the factory for inspection and repair. If you buy at will online, the after-sales service is relatively troublesome. You can contact the seller online first to see how to deal with it. It is recommended to wear hearing aids to professional hearing aid stores such as Austar hearing.

What is the difference between bone conduction hearing aid and common hearing aid?

 

The main difference between bone conduction hearing aid and common hearing aid lies in their working principle and design principle. Ordinary hearing aids are air conduction. The way of sound transmission is from the outer ear, the outer ear canal, the tympanic membrane, the auditory ossicles, to the inner ear. But the bone conduction hearing aid transmits sound directly to the inner ear through the bone vibrator of the hearing aid, and then bypasses the conduction pathway of the middle ear of the outer ear through the skull vibration of the human brain.

 Bone conduction hearing aids are suitable for specific groups of people, such as ear atresia, otitis media sequelae, otosclerosis, ear stenosis caused by trauma and other patients who are not suitable to wear air conduction hearing aids.

In order to listen well to the meeting, it is necessary to equip hearing aids with Bluetooth function. It mainly including the following aspects: select hearing aids with directional technology, locate the sound source with directional technology, focus on collecting and amplifying the sound from the front, attenuate the influence of the side and the rear, so as to improve speech clarity; Select hearing aids with noise reduction function, which can reduce noise and improve signal-to-noise ratio, improve speech clarity; Use of listening devices, common listening devices are with the venue inductance system; The use of remote voice transmission system; as well as the use of wireless Bluetooth technology. Hearing aids with these aspects, will help to hear clearly at meeting. The price is generally more than ten thousand yuan.

What kind of hearing aid is better for regular dinners and small meetings

 

In order to listen well to the meeting, it is necessary to equip hearing aids with Bluetooth function. It mainly including the following aspects: select hearing aids with directional technology, locate the sound source with directional technology, focus on collecting and amplifying the sound from the front, attenuate the influence of the side and the rear, so as to improve speech clarity; Select hearing aids with noise reduction function, which can reduce noise and improve signal-to-noise ratio, improve speech clarity; Use of listening devices, common listening devices are with the venue inductance system; The use of remote voice transmission system; as well as the use of wireless Bluetooth technology. 

Hearing aids with these aspects, will help to hear clearly at meeting. The price is generally more than ten thousand yuan.

Nowadays, all kinds of all digital multi-channel hearing aids, the advantages of wearing hearing aids are mainly to compensate for hearing, positioning, improve speech recognition rate, etc. in terms of function, they mainly include the improvement of intelligent scene recognition, noise reduction, microphone technology, compression, frequency shift and other advanced technologies, which will also help patients in terms of speech clarity of various frequencies.

After we confirm the hearing loss and choose the right hearing aids, the next work is hearing rehabilitation. Although hearing aids will not improve your hearing loss, they will slow down your hearing loss. After a period of wearing, speech and voice stimulation, speech resolution will gradually improve. That is to say, as long as you keep wearing hearing aids all the year round, you will hear more clearly than before on the basis of hearing. Therefore we suggest that the majority of hearing aid wearers should not only wear hearing aids when they need them, but wear hearing aids all the time since the sound is everywhere. Only by keeping to wearing hearing aids can they benefit.

How long is the general warranty of hearing aids? What if they break?

The service time of hearing aid is 5-8 years, and the general warranty time of basic hearing aid is 2 years. The warranty time of high-end hearing aid is longer relatively.

The hearing aid’s warranty card from its manufacturer will clearly mark it. Manufacturer also has service for extension warranty. When purchasing hearing aids, you can consult the audiologist. Generally, in the warranty period, except for human reasons, manufacturer offers free repairing. Maintenance fee after the warranty period needs to be paid by user. It is recommended that you select a professional team when fitting hearing aids. The higher the level of agents, the greater the discount given by the brand when repairing.

What's the matter with the clattering sound when eating with a hearing aid?

It may be that the ear dome of the hearing aid is not tightly plugged. It may also be that the hearing loss was serious before, and the ear could not hear chewing sound. Now, it hears but not suitable. It is recommended to go to the fitting center and ask the audiologist to check the specific reasons.

What's the matter with the clattering sound when eating with a hearing aid? If you have just worn the hearing aid, you may have been unable to hear the food, put the mouth and chew before the serious hearing loss, but now you may not be able to chewing sound. If the ear dome of the hearing aid is not tightly plugged, you can shake it to the left and right for a little bit and then plug it into it. If it is a customized machine, it may be that the customized machine shell is not fit enough, and needs to make the shell again. It is recommended to go to the fitting center and ask the audiologist to check the specific reasons. I hope my answer helps you.

Can mild hearing loss heal itself？

It depends on the cause of hearing loss and whether there is hearing loss. Although it is only "mild", not all cases can self-healing. In pure tone audiometry, the four frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz are called language frequencies. To evaluate the degree of hearing loss, it refers to the average of these four frequency thresholds (the minimum intensity of a pure tone just heard). When the average is less than 25dB, hearing is in the normal range.

The auditory system is the same as other organs. When cells and organs are over stimulated and experience over activity, the energy or ability to respond to the stimulation will be lost, resulting in hearing loss. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent, which is related to whether the hair cells are damaged. If hearing hair cells are damaged, irreversible hearing loss will occur. Therefore, whether the hearing loss can heal itself or even be cured has nothing to do with the degree. After all, auditory hair cell damage can also be small-scale, so even "mild" may be permanent; and some factors, such as knock, poisoning, disease and other causes of deafness, although the hearing loss is serious for a time, it can be recovered.

The frequency threshold of hearing mentioned above. Generally speaking, high frequency hearing loss is not easy to recover, while low frequency hearing loss is better to recover. In fact, 25% - 40% of the patients with mild hearing loss have difficulty in understanding speech information. Therefore, although it is "mild", it is not light.

However, no matter what kind of reasons and the extent of hearing loss, it is necessary to intervene. Early treatment is of great significance in saving hearing.

It depends on the cause of hearing loss and whether there is hearing loss. Although it is only "mild", not all cases can self-healing. In pure tone audiometry, the four frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz are called language frequencies. To evaluate the degree of hearing loss, it refer to the average of these four frequency thresholds (the minimum intensity of a pure tone just heard). When the average is less than 25dB, hearing is in the normal range.

The auditory system is the same as other organs. When cells and organs are over stimulated and experience over activity, the energy or ability to respond to the stimulation will be lost, resulting in hearing loss. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent, which is related to whether the hair cells are damaged. If hearing hair cells are damaged, irreversible hearing loss will occur. Therefore, whether the hearing loss can heal itself or even be cured has nothing to do with the degree. After all, auditory hair cell damage can also be small-scale, so even "mild" may be permanent; and some factors, such as knock, poisoning, disease and other causes of deafness, although the hearing loss is serious for a time, it can be recovered.

For frequency threshold of hearing mentioned above, generally speaking, high frequency hearing loss is not easy to recover, while low frequency hearing loss is better to recover. In fact, 25% - 40% of the patients with mild hearing loss have difficulty in understanding speech information. Therefore, although it is "mild", it is not light.

However, no matter what kind of reasons and the degree of hearing loss, it is necessary to intervene. Early treatment is of great significance in saving hearing.

The so-called power of hearing aid refers to the ability of hearing aid to enlarge sound. Hearing aids with different power are suitable for people with different degrees of hearing loss, which is the key to select hearing aids. It is generally believed that 0-25db is normal; 26-40dB is mild hearing loss, without hearing aids; 41-55db is moderate hearing loss, with small and medium power hearing aids; 56-70db is moderate and severe hearing loss, and 71-80db is severe hearing loss, with medium and high power hearing aids optional; Over 81dbs are extremely severe hearing loss, and can wear extremely powerful hearing aids.

Do hearing aids work like real ears?

The effect of hearing aids is different from person to person. No matter how good the hearing aids are, they can't reach the effect of real ears. Therefore there must be reasonable expectations for the wearing effect of hearing aids.

It is necessary to have a correct understanding of hearing aids. After wearing hearing aids, it is mainly to exercise the function of the ears, to use the residual hearing to achieve the auxiliary function. It’s impossible to replace normal ears. Of course, a good hearing aid will make better compensation for sound. Hearing aid is just an auxiliary tool. It's the same as wearing glasses. No matter how good the top-level hearing aid is, it can't be compared with normal people's ears. But the higher the level of hearing aid is, the sound quality will be clearer, and the listening effect will be better. It depends on the individual's hearing loss and the degree of hearing loss. The effect for people with poor speech discrimination are naturally worse than those with good speech discrimination.

How often do I change the ear dome of hearing aid?

It is determined by the color and texture of ear dome. Normal ear dome is bright white, soft and elastic. If it turns yellow and hard, it should be replaced. The specific replacement frequency depends on the use and care of each person. Generally, patients with otitis media and those with oily ear secretion should be replace ear dome more frequently and may use new ear dome every two or three months. Generally it should be replaced every six months with good care.

If it's the ear dome or ear mold used by a child, the child's ear mold should be replaced more frequently. Because the length of the child's ear changes rapidly, the ear mold needs to be replaced in about 3 months, and the replacement time will be shorter when the child is a little older. If it is an adult ear mold it depends on whether the user has the intention to protect it. Generally speaking, the ear mold needs to be replaced if it is damaged or blocked. 3-6 months to the hearing center regularly for cleaning. In daily life, the hearing aid should pay attention to damp-proof (to avoid large temperature difference, heavy moisture), waterproof (do not wear it when washing your face or bathing), prevent falling (avoid little children and animals touch hearing aids. When wearing, try to sit on soft places, such as sofa or bed) and prevent corrosion (do not use alcohol to wipe the device; replace the battery in time, and remember to remove the battery to avoid battery leakage and corrosion if don’t use the device for long time). You usually needs to clean earwax, or regularly send to the Hearing Center for cleaning.

From the perspective of commodities, it is only a form of preferential activities or feedback to customers from manufacturers or distributors. With the development of science and technology, the new generation of hearing aids is just like the current electronic products, and new products will come out every one or two years. In general, the average time for ordinary users to use hearing aids is about 5 years, during which a lot of new products have come out.

Considering the particularity of products, the problem of discontinuation of production, lack of repair parts etc., the greater difference between hearing aids and other electronic products lies in the use environment and frequency. Some people say that the use frequency of mobile phones is also very high, but mobile phones generally do not face sweat, earwax and wet ear canal environment. Hearing aids are often hung behind or plugged in the ear canal. In addition to paying attention to maintenance and avoiding falling, after-sales service and maintenance problems are also very important.

So it doesn't make much sense to recycle the hearing aid. Our hearing center will not recycle the old hearing aids when it carries out the “old for new” promotion. Customers will test and match new hearing aids with relative discount based on their old ones. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, there are also reasons such as children changing hearing aids. Most of the time, the used children hearing aids are relatively new. Parents want to use new technology and then change their children’s hearing aids. At this time, the data of old hearing aids detected by hearing aids analyzer is up to standard, which can be recycled. However, considering that children are generally lively and active, it is more meaningful for customers to keep the old ones for backup.

How to understand analog and digital hearing aids?

The digital hearing aid is not amplified according to the principle of 1:1, the sound is more natural, and it is not easy to be distorted. The noise reduction and other aspects will be better. Truly, it can be heard in a low voice, and not ear shattering in a loud voice. However analog hearing aid is just the opposite. It sounds noisy and wearing it for a long time will cause hearing loss.

Digital hearing aid is very different from analog one. Firstly, analog hearing aid belongs to linear 1:1 amplification, with the same amplification of large and small sounds. The small sound can't hear clearly and the big sound is too noisy. It's not only not helpful for the deaf, but also can damage the residual hearing if it's worn for a long time. The digital hearing aid is more intelligent, with clear and full voice, which is more natural. The biggest advantage of the digital hearing aid is that it can be fitted by computer. There are many adaptive environments, such as a noise reduction function in the noise environment, a variety of environment switching and all-round sound collection, so that your listening experience is much more better.

Is analog or digital hearing aid better?

Linear amplification is adopted in analog hearing aid. The input / output function of the amplification is 1:1. The gain of the hearing aid is constant. The input intensity is increased by 1dB, and the output sound is increased by 1dB accordingly. If the input sound is very large, the output sound will easily exceed the loudness discomfort range of the patient, which will cause uncomfortable wearing and even damage the residual hearing. This hearing aid is generally applicable for patients with conductive hearing loss or who have previously worn a linear amplification hearing aid.

 

Digital hearing aid: the gain is not constant. The nonlinear hearing aid has the ability of noise reduction. Compared with the linear hearing aid, it has smaller noise, smaller distortion, stronger adaptability to complex environment and more comfortable wearing experience. In theory, it is suitable for all patients with hearing loss.

Why can't I hear clearly after wear hearing aids for a while?

There will be the following conditions that cause the hearing aid’s unclear hearing: too much ear endocrine cerumen blocking the ear canal mouth, or cerumen blocking the air outlet of microphone. There may also be a damp hearing aid. Or the wearer's hearing changes. It is recommended to go to the hearing aid fitting center regularly to maintain the machine and reexamine the hearing. First, check from the hearing aid itself: 1. Whether there is blockage of foreign matters in the earplug, or there is water drop in the acoustic tube, and whether there is blockage of earwax on the head of the customized machine; 2. Check whether the battery is sufficient; 3. Whether the machine is affected by damp.

 

From hearing aid wearer’s personal fitting parameters: as the initial hearing aid wearer, generally audiologist will give the initial loudness to a relatively small one, and the voice will be amplified after the hearing loss wearer adapts for a period of time. It is possible that after wearing it for a period of time, the initial fitting adapts, and wearer feel that it is not clear than before. Therefore, you can check whether there are any of the above problems by yourself. Then go to the relevant fitting center to adjust fitting parameters.

Can I wear a hearing aid if I have otitis media?

If otitis media attacks repeatedly, it is not recommended to choose the internal ear devices. On one hand, a moist ear canal is easy to damage the device. On the other hand, blocked ear canal will cause the recurrence of otitis media.

Otitis media leads to hearing loss. If it causes difficulties in life, study and work, we need to seek the help of hearing aids, and intervene through hearing aids. But many people are worried that if they wear hearing aids at the same time of inflammation, will the inflammation be more severe? That's for sure. So when choosing hearing aids, we suggest that people with otitis media should choose the ear back machine. If there is a requirement for the appearance, then customized rear version shall be selected. When wearing, a layer of deixis cotton should be laid on the receiver to protect the receiver from the infringement of thick liquid. Some time later the hearing aid should be cleaned and maintained regularly.

Which brand of hearing aid is more cost-effective? Which brand of hearing aid is better?

It is recommended to go to the local professional hearing aid fitting institutions. There are many hearing aid brands in the market, such as: "Phonak,Resound, Starkey, Siemens, Lisound, Oticon, Austar, Unicorn, etc., which brand of hearing aid is better?

First of all, choose a right brand. We need to know manufacturers of hearing aid. In terms of R & D institutions, manufacturer scale, product quality, technical level, after-sales service and other issues, our Chinese market has four major brands: Phonak, Resound, Starkey, Siemens. These four brands are quite good in the hearing aid industry, and each brand of hearing aid has its own special features. We need to see patient's own hearing loss to determine which manufacturer's hearing aids are more suitable for them. Hearing aids have different sound quality and different hearing effects, so it's not easy to choose a more suitable hearing aid. Not everyone wearing a hearing aid has the same effect. The most important thing is to see the degree of hearing loss and speech recognition ability of the patient, so as to determine the effect of listening. At the beginning, wearing a hearing aid may not all be able to hear. It takes a long time to hear and understand. It needs to be worn slowly to adapt to the sounds heard in different environments. In general, it will be able to fully adapt to this hearing aid in six months or so.

It must be firmly believed that the longer to wear hearing aid, the better to hear. To hear the voice that couldn't be heard before, from the silent world to the sound world. You can hear all kinds of beautiful sounds of nature, and can communicate with family and friends to improve the quality of life.