1. How many people have hearing loss? 
2. What are some causes of hearing loss? 
3. What are the different kinds of hearing loss? 
4. What is the sound (ringing, roaring or buzzing) in my head/ears? 
5. Why do I have the most difficulty hearing in crowds? 
6. Why do I have difficulty hearing female or children’s voices when I hear male voices fairly easily? 
7. Does Medicare pay for hearing aids?  Will my insurance pay for hearing aids? 
8. Why should I go to an audiologist to have my hearing tested? 

 

1. How many people have hearing loss? 
   
   Over 31.5 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.  That’s one out of ten people and one out of four people over 65.  Even more alarming is the fact that 1 in 14 Generation Xers (aged 29-40) already have hearing loss.
   
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2. What are some causes of hearing loss? 
   
   There are many causes that can accumulate over our lifetimes.  Some of the most common ones include:

*age
*extended exposure to loud noise (military, hunting, music, industrial, power saws, etc.)
*heredity
*certain chemotherapy and radiation treatments
*certain medications
*head trauma
*certain medical conditions
*earwax buildup
*ear infections
*viral infections


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3. What are the different kinds of hearing loss? 
   
   There are three basic types of hearing loss:

*conductive hearing loss – Results from a problem with the conduction of sound from the outer ear (the part you can see) to the inner ear (where the nerve is located).  This can result from wax buildup, ear infections, trauma to the ear or other problems with the eardrum or middle ear bones.  People with this type of loss have problems with volume.  This type of loss can be medically correctable, so a diagnostic hearing evaluation is a must.

*sensorineural hearing loss – involves the deterioration of the inner ear of the hearing nerve.  The aging process, noise-exposure, illness and other degenerative processes could cause this loss.  This type of hearing loss often impairs speech understanding.

*mixed hearing loss – a combination of a conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

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4. What is the sound (ringing, roaring or buzzing) in my head/ears? 
   
   This is called tinnitus.  It’s usually an indication of some damage to your hearing system (especially noise damage).  It can be constant or periodic and in one ear, both, or in the middle of your head.  If you have tinnitus, you should have a diagnostic audiological evaluation to determine if there’s a medical cause for it.  There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are methods that can minimize its impact.  Sometimes, hearing aids help by bringing more sound to the brain, thus distracting attention from the ringing. 
   
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5. Why do I have the most difficulty hearing in crowds? 
   
   You could have high-frequency (pitch) hearing loss.  You may hear well in one-on-one situations and in small groups, but when you’re in larger groups with distracting noise, you hear the noise better than the speech.  With today’s technology, this type of hearing loss can often be helped with the use of hearing aids.
   
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6. Why do I have difficulty hearing female or children’s voices when I hear male voices fairly easily? 
   
   Again, this is often a symptom of high-frequency hearing loss.  Female and children’s voices tend to be softer and of a higher resonant frequency than male voices.
   
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7. Does Medicare pay for hearing aids?  Will my insurance pay for hearing aids? 
   
   Unfortunately, Medicare does not pay anything towards purchasing hearing aids.  Most Medicare supplements do not help either.  Some insurance carriers pay all or part of the cost of hearing aids.  At the Marietta Hearing Center, we are providers for many of the major insurance companies in our area.  We would be happy to help you verify if there is insurance coverage for hearing aids.
   
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8. Why should I go to an audiologist to have my hearing tested? 
   
   Audiologists are university-trained hearing care professionals who hold masters and doctoral degrees in audiology.  They specialize in the assessment and rehabilitation of hearing problems.  Audiologists must also hold a state license and either pass a national examination or have membership in the American Academy of Audiology.  Our audiologist, Laurie Nelson, has been in practice for over twenty years.
   
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