Exploring The Role Of Hearing Loss In The 1940's

Hearing loss can be caused by many different causes, some of which can be successfully treated with medicine or surgery, depending on the disease process. Sensorioneural hearing loss is when hearing loss is due to problems of the inner ear, also known as nerve-related hearing loss (ASHA, 2015). There are two types of sensorineural hearing loss: congenital and acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Congenital sensorineural hearing loss happens during pregnancy. Some causes include prematurity, maternal diabetes, lack of oxygen during birth, genetics, and diseases passed from the mother to the child in the womb, such as rubella. Acquired sensorineural hearing loss occurs after birth (Clason, 2015). Causes can include, aging, noise, disease and

The ear is an extraordinary human organ that many people take for granted until it doesn’t function. It is the only device that allows the human to hear sounds in their environment. The ear is made up of many parts that distinguish various sounds through different means. The ear anatomy and physiology along with how sound waves are transmitted into meaningful sounds will help one understand how hearing loss occurs.

The ear is made up of three parts, the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The ability to hear is dependent on these three parts of the ear working together, and a problem with any part can cause hearing loss (heaing loss education centre, 2012). The inner ear consists of the cochlea, the auditory hearing nerve and the brain. These are the organs of hearing and balance and convert sound waves into nerve signals. These signals are sent to the brain using a nerve called the vestibulocochlear nerve. Nerve deafness occurs if there is damage to the inner ear and although it is possible to regain some hearing through the help of a hearing device, nerve deafness is often permanent. (deaf websites, 2013)

Our head of audiology, Dr. Sarah Kate Fisher knows hearing issues first hand. As a child she had chronic ear infections that affected her hearing and speech. Luckily, her hearing impairment was resolved with middle ear surgery, but it left her with a lasting impression of the vitality of hearing. In addition, Dr. Fisher says, “Witnessing my own

Medical professionals all over the world have paved the road for further research and technological advances in the hearing impaired spectrum. Implantations, such as the cochlear implant (CI), have given patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss newfound hope for habilitation and rehabilitation services. However, “there exists a small subset of deaf individuals who will not benefit from the CI due to (1) a small or absent cochlea, (2) a small or absent auditory nerve, or (3) injury or scarring of the inner ear or auditory nerve secondary to meningitis, trauma, or tumor” as stated by Kaplan et al. (2015). A treatment option for those who did not meet the candidacy qualifications for a cochlear implant needed to be implemented.

Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the United States, affecting nearly 35 million, or 1 in 9, Americans. Hearing aids is a necessity in the life of someone who is hard-of-hearing, if they choose to use them. Furthermore of the 35 million living with hearing loss only 25% of them actually use a hearing aid, this means that around 26 million are living with untreated hearing loss (Audicus, 2014). Most of the reasoning behind

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears.” Cochlear Implants are mechanical devices that are highly promoted by the hearing society to “cure” deafness. Despite the fact Cochlear Implants can be effective, the risk of serious physical and emotional harm to a patient outweighs the chances of its success.

After making a conclusion on the hearing loss of the patient, the physician will choose possible avenues for treatment. In cases where the hearing loss is not severe, a hearing aid can be installed in order to help the individual hear properly. In cases where hearing loss is permanent and severe, cochlear implants are available for specific nonsymptomatic deafness where the inner ear is not at risk to reject the implantation. There is also hearing assistive technology (HATS) which can be equipped with both adults and children to help process sounds. Similar to headphones, hearing aids consist of three major parts: the microphone, the amplifier, and the speaker. The microphone picks up sound and transfers it via electrical impulse to the amplifier,

Age is the most common factor in increasing hearing loss. About 30 percent of people between 65 and 74 experience some difficulty in hearing. That percentage and the severity of the loss increase with age.

Sometimes people forget that eyesight and hearing are not something that everybody has. There are some people in the world that are living without one or both of these senses. In some circumstances, these two senses are able to be given to somebody who hasn’t had them before. There are many different procedures and ways for a person to either gain their eyesight or hearing again, for the first time in their life. In terms of hearing, there is a procedure that is booming popularity all over the world. Along with having the surgery, the patient then wears a device called a cochlear implant. Cochlear Implants are changing the world of hearing so that people who receive them are able to gain hearing ability to sounds around them. This partially unknown medical procedure is gaining more attention around the world with its high success rates and its ability to change peoples lives forever.

“Hearing loss is a major public health issue and HearUSA believes that hearing care needs to be recognized as a medical necessity and made more affordable, accessible and accountable,” said Dr.

As an undergraduate, I performed research on deafness, investigating hearing regeneration and unique auditory phenotypes. Based on my work, I was selected to be a Post-Baccalaureate Fellow at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders within the National Institutes of Health. This is a two-year program (07/14-07/16). I lead three projects focused on novel clinical therapies to prevent hearing loss from ototoxic drugs—drugs that cause hearing loss in hundreds of thousands of patients. There exists the need for therapies that protect the inner ear from ototoxic drugs without altering their therapeutic effects, and the focus of my research has been to help develop novel therapies.

Our outer ear is made up of the three tiny bones, the cochlea filled with fluid, and our tiny hair receptors that pick up sounds. Once a person is going deaf or is deaf, that means that hair cells are damaged and they can no longer send sound information to our hearing nerves. The implant “does not amplify sound. It bypasses the missing or damaged hair cells altogether, and delivers more sound information directly to the hearing nerve. The cochlear implant has two parts: 1) the implant, which is surgically placed into the Mastoid bone, and 2) the outer device of a headpiece and processor,” (Bhansali. 2001. Paragraph 7, Lines

What should we know about hearing loss? The main causes for hearing loss is head trauma and exposure to loud sound. The only way we can take care of ourselves is by knowing how to.To prevent hearing loss we can turn down the volume, use earplugs or remove ourselves from situations where noise is excessive. More Importantly, Digan states,”The major source of dangerous noise is a personal media player combined with a pair of earbuds”, ( Pg.11). For example, Digan writes,”Sound is measured in

Advancements in Information Technology have now made it possible to restore hearing to the profoundly deaf by inserting a prosthetic device called the Bionic Ear (also known as the Cochlear Implant) in an individual’s inner ear. The Bionic Ear technology is an example of design and innovation combined with information processing, software design and development. Since it was first invented, technology advancements proceeded on a parallel track in terms of miniaturisation and increasing sophistication of this Bionic Ear technology. This particular technology operates by delivering electrical stimuli to the auditory nerve which then triggers auditory