Hearing FAQ

Another resource to provide you with access to many helpful hearing-related articles.

What is an Audiologist?
An audiologist is a person who has a master’s or doctoral degree in audiology. Audiology is the science of hearing. In addition, the audiologist must be licensed or registered by their state (in 47 states) to practice audiology.

Hearing Aids in the Presence of Background Noise:
Virtually all patients wearing hearing aids complain about background noise at one time or another. There is no way to completely eliminate background noise.

Digital Hearing Aid Technology:
The term “digital” is used so often today, it can be confusing. When the term “digital” is used while referring to hearing aids, it generally means the hearing aid is 100% digital. In other words, the hearing aid is indeed a “complete computer.”

Taking an Impression of the Ear:
All custom-made hearing aids and earmolds are made from a cast of the ear. The cast is referred to as an ear impression. The audiologist makes the ear impression in the office. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Hearing Aid Battery Information:
All batteries are toxic and dangerous if swallowed. Keep all batteries (and hearing aids) away from children and pets. If anyone swallows a battery, it is a medical emergency and the individual needs to see a physician immediately.

How do I Know if I Have Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss occurs to most people as they age. Hearing loss can be due to the aging process, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, infections, head or ear trauma, congenital (birth or prenatal) or hereditary factors, diseases as well as a number of other causes.

Middle Ear Implants:
Middle ear implants are surgically implanted devices. The FDA has approved specific middle ear implants and the FDA is still reviewing others. The middle ear implant is a useful hearing instrument and is quite different from traditional hearing aids.

Realistic Expectations for the Hearing Aid User:
Hearing aids work very well when fitted and adjusted appropriately. They amplify sound! You might find that you like one hearing aid better than another. The left and right hearing aids will probably not fit exactly the same, and they probably won’t sound exactly the same.

Three Levels of Hearing Aid Technology:
There are essentially three levels of hearing aid technology. We refer to these as analog, digitally programmable, and digital.

What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation. Tinnitus is a very common disorder.

Type and Degree of Hearing Loss:
Results of the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Loudness is plotted from top to bottom. Frequency, from low to high, is plotted from left to right.

Types of Hearing Aids:
There are many styles of hearing aids. The degree of the hearing loss, power and options requirements, manual dexterity abilities, cost and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the style the patient will use.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs):
You may have certain communication needs that cannot be solved by the use of hearing aids alone. These situations may involve the use of the telephone, radio and television, and the inability to hear the doorbell, telephone bell and alarm clock.

Candidates for ALDs:
People with all degrees and types of hearing loss – even people with normal hearing – can benefit from assistive listening devices.

Types of ALDs:
There are many assistive listening devices available today, from sophisticated systems used in theaters and auditoriums to small personal systems.

The Prevalence of Tinnitus:
Tinnitus is the term for the perception of sound when no external sound is present. It is often referred to as “ringing in the ears,” although some people hear hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping, or clicking.

What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus may originate from various lesions and from different sites. The auditory system involves highly complicated inner ear structures, many afferent and efferent nerve pathways and a great amount of nuclei that form a complex meshwork.

Tinnitus Treatment and Management:
Generally, most patients will not need any medical treatment for their tinnitus. For patients who are greatly bothered by tinnitus, they may use some masking techniques such as listening to a fan or radio, which would mask some of their tinnitus.

Cochlear Implants:
Generally speaking, cochlear implants are for patients with severe to profound, sensorineural hearing loss. There are approximately 500,000 patients in the USA with severe to profound hearing loss.

What is an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?
Auditory processing (also called central auditory processing) refers to the means by which we make sense of what we hear. “Auditory processing disorders” refers to the abnormal interaction of hearing, neural transmission and the brain’s ability to make sense of sound.

What is a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)?
Auditory processing (also called central auditory processing) refers to the means by which we make sense of what we hear. “Auditory processing disorders” refers to the abnormal interaction of hearing, neural transmission and the brain’s ability to make sense of sound.

A Discussion of Meniere's Disease:
The inner ear is a delicate membraneous sense organ that is encased in a bony shell. It is suspended within a lattice-like bony framework, called the mastoid bone, which is located behind the outer ear.

A Discussion of Acoustic Neuroma:
Acoustic tumors are fibrous growths originating from the balance nerve and are not malignant. They do not spread to other parts of the brain, other than by direct extension.

Practical Suggestions for Persons with a Hearing Impairment:
The ear is divided into three parts: an external ear, a middle ear and an inner ear. Each part performs an important function in the process of hearing.

A Discussion of Hearing Problems in Children:
Five thousand children are born profoundly deaf each year in the United States alone. Another 10 percent to 15 percent of newborns have a partial hearing handicap.

A Discussion of Tinnitus:
Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation. Tinnitus is a very common disorder.

A Discussion of Dizziness:
Dizziness is a symptom, not a disease. It may be defined as a sensation of unsteadiness, imbalance or disorientation in relation to an individual’s surroundings.

A Discussion of Chronic Ear Infections:
Chronic ear infection is the result of an ear infection that has left a residual injury to the ear. This type of infection has been established as the cause of some ear problems.

Who Will I See About my Ear and Hearing Problems?
An audiologist is a person who has a master’s or doctoral degree in audiology. Audiology is the science of hearing. In addition, the audiologist must be licensed or registered by their state (in 47 states) to practice audiology.

Hearing, Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids: Issues and Answers:
Hearing loss occurs in most people as they age. Hearing loss can be due to the aging process, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, infections, head or ear trauma, congenital (birth or prenatal) or hereditary factors, diseases as well as a number of other causes.

Aural Rehabilitation: Some Personal and Professional Reflections:
When Geoff Plant asked me to give this keynote presentation, he said to be sure that I included some of my personal experiences as a hard of hearing person.

Hearing Aids: Reasonable Expectations for the Consumer:
Since you are considering the purchase of hearing aids, it’s important for you to establish reasonable expectations from these highly sophisticated miniature devices.

Why Aren’t Hearing Conservation Practices Taught in Schools?
Hearing conservation should receive attention and resources similar to those allocated for anti-smoking, anti-drug, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease education programs that are now presented routinely in public schools.

The American Tinnitus Association: A Resource for Enhancing Tinnitus Patient Services:
The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) assists healthcare providers in serving patients who have, or are learning to cope with, tinnitus.

There IS something you can do about tinnitus!
Nearly 50 million people in the U.S.A. have tinnitus. Tinnitus may be described as a ringing, hissing or other noise heard in the ears or head.

A Patient's Guide to Tinnitus:
Tinnitus, often described as ringing, buzzing or hissing sounds in the ears, is a symptom that can be related to almost every known hearing problem. Tinnitus can be temporary (acute) or permanent (chronic).

Managing Chronic Tinnitus As Phantom Auditory Pain:
Patients experiencing severe chronic tinnitus have many characteristics in common with chronic pain patients.

Tinnitus: It Has a Certain Ring to It:
Fifty million Americans experience some form of tinnitus. Twelve million have sought professional intervention. Tinnitus is a significant and common problem across the USA.

If you or a loved one is suffering with hearing loss, call the Audiology Services of Chattanooga near you in Chattanooga at (423) 894-1133 or Signal Mountain at (423) 475-5391. You can also use our online Request an Appointment form. For additional information on any condition, treatment or procedure, please visit our Hearing Library.