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Hearing
Aids suggests that you get an examination by a medical doctor
(preferably a ear specialist) to check you for any of the
following conditions.
- Visible
congenital or traumatic deformity of the ear.
- History
of active drainage from the ear within the past 90 days.
- History
of sudden or rapidly progressive hearing loss within the
past 90 days.
- Acute
or chronic dizziness.
- Unilateral
hearing loss, sudden or recent onset within the past 90
days.
- Audiometric
air-bone gap equal to or greater than 15 Decibels at 500
HZ, 1000 HZ, 2000 HZ.
- Visible
evidence of ear wax (Cerumen) or any foreign body in the
ear canal.
- Any
pain or discomfort in the ear.
Facts for Consumers from the Federal Trade
Commission
Produced in Cooperation with the American Association of Retired
People
More than 21 million Americans suffer from some type of hearing
impairment. Fortunately, many of these people can benefit from
the use of a hearing aid. However, results will vary depending
on types of hearing loss.
Types of Hearing Loss
The two basic types of hearing loss are conductive and sensor
neural. Conductive hearing loss involves the outer and middle
ear. It can result from a blockage of wax, a punctured eardrum,
birth defects, ear infections, or heredity. Usually, conductive
hearing loss can be corrected medically or surgically. Sensor
neural, or "nerve" hearing loss involves damage to
the inner ear. It can be caused by aging, prenatal and birth-related
problems, viral and bacterial infections, heredity, trauma (such
as a severe blow to the head), exposure to loud noises, the
use of certain drugs, fluid buildup in the inner ear, or a benign
tumor in the inner ear.
Only in rare cases can sensor neural hearing loss be medically
or surgically corrected. It is the type of hearing loss that
is most commonly managed with a hearing aid. Sensor neural hearing
loss can affect selective portions of a person's range of hearing.
Therefore, the degree of hearing loss and the specific levels
of pitch [frequencies] affected will vary from person to person.
Even in instances where the pattern of the loss is the same,
the degree of sound clarity may vary from person to person or
may differ between ears for one individual.
Purchase Suggestions
A hearing aid is an electronic device that picks up sound waves
with a tiny microphone. The microphone makes weaker sounds louder
and sends them to the ear through a tiny speaker. Because a
hearing aid is an amplification device, a person must have some
hearing to benefit from its use.
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