Crescent-News.com - Digital hearing aid devices giving patients more control

By DARLENE PRINCE

Mumbled words, lost phrases, telephone calls that are incomprehensible. All are part of life for a person suffering from hearing loss.

The number of persons with hearing loss -- estimated at 28 million people in the United States -- is expected to nearly double by the year 2030, when many of the baby boomers will have retired.

Symptoms that signal a hearing loss include turning up the sound on the TV or radio higher than most people do, not being able to hear clearly on the phone, asking people to repeat themselves, the perception that people are not speaking clearly to you and a ringing or buzzing in the ears, also called tinnitus.

Since most hearing loss is gradual, a person whose hearing is diminished may not realize what is happening.

Hearing is lost when the microscopic sterocilia (hair cells) in the ear are damaged and cannot send complete signals to the brain. However, hearing aids can help many people.

Because of digital technology over the past few years, considerable advancements have been made to the old analog hearing aids.

"Digital hearing aids are hooked up to a computer and you get much more control and they can be set more precisely," said John Samuelson, BC, HIS, of Defiance Hearing Aid Center. "There is a tremendous difference between digital and analog with the computer software on digital giving reception on 10-12 different bands.

"Digital hearing aids vary in sizes," Samuelson added, "from completely-in-the-canal, to in-the-canal, to larger ones in the ear and behind the ear. There is a range of volume people can still operate, as in the past."

He said the type of hearing aid that is purchased most often depends on how much hearing a client has lost.

Samuelson explained that the first step in purchasing a hearing aid is an examination.

"We look inside the ear with a fiber optic video otoscope," he said. "We make sure the eardrum is healthy and looks normal before a hearing test. If the eardrum looks unhealthy, we advise the patient to see a doctor."

He said the next step is to talk to the patient and get a case history of his/her hearing problems. The patient is then placed in a sound-proof room where the amount of hearing loss can be measured with equipment.

Samuelson noted that most people with hearing loss cannot hear higher-pitched sounds, and it has always been a big issue in hearing aids that increasing the ability to hear higher pitches can create a whistling sound. Digital hearing aids, however, are better at controlling the whistling and other noises and also have a feature that helps control wind noise.

He said there are some hearing aid companies that still make analog devices, but most of them have switched to digital.

While some people can get by with one hearing aid, he recommends two so hearing is better balanced.

"Hearing is in your brain," he said, "and the brain can better balance information it is receiving from two sources instead of one."

Terri Samuelson, an audiologist with the Defiance Hearing Aid Center, tests patients to determine how much hearing has been lost.

"Patients must understand that a hearing aid is like a corrective lens in eyeglasses," she said. "A hearing aid will correct hearing up to a certain point, depending on how much damage has been done to the ear or in the brain. Some people may be able to hear again at 100 percent and some at 20 percent of what they originally had."

She noted it is rare that patients would regain 100 percent of their hearing, but scientific research is ongoing to try and regenerate hair cells.

One of the problems she often deals with is the reluctance of some people to be tested for a hearing loss.

"I get calls quite often from wives who say their husbands can't hear very well and what can they do to convince them to come in for a hearing test," she said, laughing. "I just encourage them to have their husbands make an appointment with us.

"I tell them that our best success is with people who realize they have a hearing loss and want to work with us and solve the problem," she said.

Once a patient has been fitted with a hearing aid, she advises them to start slowly and proceed in steps while getting used to the aids.

Some experts suggest new hearing aid owners acclimate to their hearing aids by at first listening to the radio or TV in a quiet room.

Prices for quality analog hearing aids run from $900-$1,200 while a digital hearing aid can cost $1,300-$3,000.

Experts say to be sure to ask the dealer about a trial period and a warranty that should cover both parts and labor for a specified period.