Hearing Loss Diagnostic Process
The Effects of Hearing Loss and Sound Voids™ can be minimized if;
- Your problem is correctly diagnosed
- You receive the right type of treatment
- You and your hearing care team are committed to solving the problem.
At Echo Hearing Center we have a 4 step process that we use to identify a
solution for our patients suffering from hearing loss.
1. Interview
2. Examination
3. Testing
4. Treatment Options
The Interview:
To help your audiologist professional determine the extent of your problem
and uncover any specific areas that may require further attention.
Some Typical Questions:
- Has anyone else in your family had hearing difficulty?
- Have you had any illnesses or injuries that might have affected your hearing?
- Have you taken any medications that might have affected your hearing?
- Have you been exposed to loud noises in your job or leisure activities?
To help your audiologist determine whether the Sound Voids™ you are experiencing could be caused by an obstruction or damage to the ear canal or ear drum. Your audiologist will use a special instrument called an otoscope or video otoscope to inspect the outer ear.
The Testing:
To help the hearing care professional determine the nature of your Sound Voids™. Your hearing care professional may include tests like the
following depending on his or her assessment of your needs.
- Audiometric pure tone evaluation to measure your hearing at different frequencies.
- Speech evaluation to measure how well you hear and understand ordinary conversation at different volumes.
- Immittance middle ear evaluation to measure how your ear drum and hearing react to varying degrees of air pressure.
Your Board Certified professional will use an audiogram to chart the results of your audiometric pure tone evaluation. An audiogram illustrates a person's hearing loss, frequency by frequency. The sample audiogram on this page has been filled in with illustrations to show where common sounds and part of speech fit in. Frequency, or tone pitch is measured on the x-axis (horizontal axis) and sound intensity, or loudness is measured on the y-axis (vertical axis) in decibels (dB). The purple shaded area on the audiogram shows the pitch and loudness where most common speech sounds occur. An "s" sound is high in pitch, yet quiet, whereas the "u" sound is lower in pitch but louder.
Treatment Options
Hearing systems come in a variety of designs and with a wide range of functions and features to address an individual's specific needs. The most basic components include a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and (in the case of digital hearing systems) a small computer. The unprecedented effectiveness of modern digital systems comes from a powerful combination of professional expertise, software, and hardware.
Surgery & Implants
Devices surgically inserted into the ear to improve hearing, facilitate lip-reading, and make it easier to distinguish certain sounds. These are typically most helpful to deaf or profoundly hearing impaired people who cannot use hearing systems.
A few examples of surgical implants:
- Cochlear Implants
- Middle Ear Implants
- Bone-Anchored Hearing Systems
- Auditory Brainstem Implants
Specialized technologies that help people with all degrees of hearing loss. These devices can facilitate improved face-to-face communication, reception of electronic media, telephone reception, and reception of important warning sounds and situations.
