(Fact sheet on hearing aids reproduced from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Did you know that only one out of five people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one? If you think you might have hearing loss, visit your doctor. He or she may refer you to an otolaryngologist or audiologist to determine the cause, type, and extent of your hearing problem and whether hearing aids will help you.
How hearing aids help
Hearing aids are electronic devices that fit inside or behind the ear and help amplify sounds. Hearing aids are helpful, but they do not restore normal hearing or eliminate background noise.
Choosing a hearing aid
Whether you choose analog over digital, or adjustable over programmable, you and your audiologist can determine if a hearing aid is the right device for your type of hearing loss.
Before purchasing any hearing aid, ask if the warranty covers repairs and if there is a trial period.
Adjusting to a hearing aid
Adjusting to a hearing aid is a gradual process; it involves learning to listen in a variety of environments and becoming accustomed to hearing different sounds.
Your own voice may sound too loud. Your audiologist may or may not be able to correct this problem. Most people get used to it over time.
You may hear a whistling sound or feedback. This is caused by the fit of the hearing aid or by earwax or fluid buildup. See your audiologist.
What is a hearing aid?
A hearing aid is an electronic, battery-operated device that amplifies and changes sound to allow for improved communication. Hearing aids receive sound through a microphone, which then converts the sound waves to electrical signals. The amplifier increases the loudness of the signals and then sends the sound to the ear through a speaker.
How common is hearing loss and what causes it?
Approximately 28 million Americans have a hearing impairment. Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions in the United States, affecting people of all ages, in all segments of the population, and across all socioeconomic levels. Hearing loss affects approximately 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. Incidence increases with age: approximately 314 in 1,000 people over age 65 have hearing loss. Hearing loss can be hereditary, or it can result from disease, trauma, or long-term exposure to damaging noise or medications. Hearing loss can vary from a mild but important loss of sensitivity, to a total loss of hearing.
How do we hear?
Hearing depends on the following series of events that change sound waves in the air into electrical impulses that the auditory (hearing) nerve carries to the brain. The ear has three major parts, described as the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear.
- Sound waves enter the outer ear (pinna) and travel through a narrow tube (ear canal) that leads inside the ear to the eardrum (tympanic membrane). The eardrum vibrates from the incoming sound waves and transmits these vibrations through three tiny bones called the ossicles (the malleus, incus, and stapes) in the middle ear. They amplify the sound and send it through the entrance to the inner ear (oval window) and into the fluid-filled hearing organ (cochlea).
- The vibrations create ripples in the fluid that bend projections from tiny hair cells in the cochlea, causing electrical impulses that the auditory nerve, or eighth cranial nerve, sends to the brain.
- The brain translates these impulses into what we experience as sound.
