TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Audiology?
What Qualifications Does My Audiologist Possess?
What Can My Audiologist Do For Me?
How Would I Find An Audiologist?
When Should I See A Doctor?
Can Loud Music, Or Other Loud Noises Really Cause Hearing Loss?
Can Damaged Auditory Nerve Endings Be Repaired?
How Would I Prevent Hearing Loss?
How prevalent is hearing loss?
Will Wearing A Hearing Aid Fix My Hearing Loss?
How Is My Ear Structured?
How Does The Ear Work?

What is Audiology?

Audiology, is the study of hearing and the hearing process.

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What Qualifications Does My Audiologist Possess?

An Audiologist holds a Masters degree in audiology from a university and is trained to administer and properly interpret complex hearing tests. Your Audiologist is concerned with the non-medical and non-surgical aspects of hearing and hearing loss. By virtue of there academic and clinical training, your audiologist is qualified to provide comprehensive and diagnostic assessments to determine the degree of hearing loss and site of lesion.

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What Can My Audiologist Do For Me?

Audiologists provide a full range of rehabilitative services for the hard of hearing and deaf. The audiologist determines the appropriateness of hearing aids and assistive listening devices for persons with hearing impairment, evaluates their benefit and provides counselling regarding their use. Audiologists take ear impressions and fit and dispense hearing aids and other amplification systems.

Your audiologist also serves as a resource to physicians, nurses, teachers, family members, other allied health professionals, and industry in the identification, interpretation and prevention of hearing loss.

Your Audiologist qualified and trained to perform a number of functions. Including;

Test hearing and identify different types of hearing loss.
Administer auditory brainstem, otoacoustic emission, and other specialized tests to assist doctors in the diagnosis of various diseases or disorders.
Prescribe and adjust personal hearing aids and/or other assistive listening devices.
Provide hearing aid accessories, earmolds, hearing protection, and swim plugs.
Provide hearing conservation advise and techniques.
Provide aural rehabilitation.
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How Would I Find An Audiologist?

Many private audiologist practices can be found by checking your yellow pages, under Audiologists.

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When Should I See A Doctor?

You should consider talking to your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms

Having difficulty hearing the television or radio.
Having difficulty using the phone.
Hearing, but unable to understand.
Having trouble understanding speech in crowded or noisy rooms.
Hearing better whey you are wearing glasses.
If you are having to ask others to repeat themselves, constantly.
If you are experiencing a ringing or a buzzing in your ears, or your head.
If you feel dizzy or have spinning sensations.
If you are experiencing ear pain, discharge, or pressure.
If you are experiencing any other abnormal condition with your ears.
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Can Loud Music, Or Other Loud Noises Really Cause Hearing Loss?

YES!! According to Health and Welfare Canada, more adults are at risk for hearing loss primarily due to higher noise levels in our environment.

When a noise is too loud, it will damage and eventually kill the auditory nerve endings in the inner ear. The longer an individual is exposed to loud noises, the greater the damage will become.

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Can Damaged Auditory Nerve Endings Be Repaired?

No! Once the Auditory nerve endings are damaged, the damage is permanent.

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How Would I Prevent Hearing Loss?

To Prevent hearing loss, there are a number of preventative measures that you can take. Such as;

Avoid loud noises.
If you must work around loud noises, wear hearing protection devices.
Have your hearing checked regularly.
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How prevalent is hearing loss?

According to the 1991 Canada Census, Approximately 4 in 100 Canadians has hearing loss that affects his/her ability to understand normal speech. Also in 1991, according to Health and Welfare Canada, 10% of the general population, 20% of the population over 65, and 40% of the population over 75 are experiencing a significant hearing loss. To place these numbers in prospective, Hearing loss affects more people than the combined totals of cancer, blindness, Tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, Venereal Disease, and Kidney disease (Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, 1992).

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Will Wearing A Hearing Aid Fix My Hearing Loss?

No! Hearing aids cannot fix a hearing loss. However your hearing aid can help you, if you are hearing impaired.

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How Is My Ear Structured?

The hear performs a complex function, and thus can be very complex in structure. In essence however the hear has three main parts. These parts are;

The outer ear. This is the part of the ear that we can see. It opens up into the ear canal. The purpose of the outer ear is to collect sounds.
The middle ear. The middle ear is separated from the ear canal by the eardrum. The purpose of the middle ear is to transfer sounds to the inner ear. This function is performed by using small bones, called the ossicles, found in the middle hear to transfer the sound.
The inner ear. The inner ear contains the auditory nerve (sometimes called the hearing nerve). This nerve leads to the brain, and is used to send auditory signals to the brain.
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How Does The Ear Work?

Sound waves that have been sent through the air, from a source of sound, are picked up by the outer ear. The outer ear will then funnel these sounds down the ear canal, to the ear drum. When these funnelled sound waves strike the ear drum, they will cause the ear drum to vibrate.

The vibrations are then passed from the ear drum to the middle ear. Once in the middle ear, the small bones located in the middle ear will transmit these vibrations to the auditory nerve, found in the inner ear.

Once the vibrations have assessed the auditory nerve, these vibrations will become nerve impulses. These nerve impulses will travel to the auditory cortex of the brain via the auditory nerve. The purpose of the auditory cortex, is to transfer these nerve impulses into signals that we perceive as sounds.