Audiologists are health care professionals who detect and treat your hearing impairment and communication competency and improve your quality of life by recommending the appropriate treatment options. They facilitate the prevention of hearing loss through proper testing of your hearing loss and fitting of hearing aids.
An audiologist must complete a 4 year Bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Audiology and Speech Language Pathologist(BASLP) and a 2 year Master Degree in Master of Audiology and Speech Language Pathologist (MASLP). An audiologist and speech language pathologist should be a member of the Indian Speech and Hearing Association (ISHA) and must have a registration number from RCI.
An experienced and licensed audiologist is responsible for the identification of the hearing loss and dysfunction of the auditory, balance, and other related systems. They not only help in selecting and fitting hearing machines but also in assessments of patients with cochlear implants.
Reasons to consult an experienced audiologist before buying hearing aids
Apart from identifying the type of hearing loss, an experienced and licensed audiologist in a hearing aids clinic also take major responsibility for the prevention of hearing loss. So let’s discuss the responsibilities of an experienced audiologist.
Experienced audiologist guide people who work in highly noisy environments and make them aware of the consequences of hearing loss and aural hygiene.
Audiologists conduct painless hearing tests and assess your hearing and balance-related problems. Experienced audiologists also identify patients who are at high risk of hearing loss, tinnitus or, ringing sound in ears, dizziness and prescribe curative care accordingly.
An audiologist performs various tests like behavioural, psycho-physical, psycho-acoustic, electro-acoustic, electro-physical etc, to determine the type and degree of hearing loss. Moreover, they prepare assessment reports and, if required, may send the patient to an ENT in case of medical treatment or surgery.
There are areas of hearing loss rehabilitation that are handled by an experienced audiologist.
Selecting and fitting hearing aid for patients with permanent hearing loss.
Recommend cochlear implants in case hearing aids are not working.
Regular monitoring and programming of hearing aids after they are suggested to patients.
Creating rehabilitation programs for hearing-impaired children and adults.
Specifying the required hearing aid protective device for those working in a noisy environment.
Consultation Experienced and licensed audiologists assist other professionals regarding the rehabilitation of a person and also determine ways for correct rehabilitation. They even show ways to interact and assist hearing-impaired people in families, society, schools, educational institutes, and also the professional field.
So whenever you are facing any hearing loss issue, always consult an experienced and licensed audiologist for hearing loss treatment who will guide you throughout your treatment.
Here is one of the patients sharing his experience at Hearing Plus
Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects a person’s blood sugar levels. But have you thought that diabetes might also lead to hearing loss? If you cannot maintain your blood glucose level within a normal range, it can harm the nerve cells of your inner ear and cause impaired hearing, says an audiologist of a hearing aid centre.
How can diabetes lead to hearing loss?
Reports suggest that diabetic patients are at a higher risk of hearing loss than those without diabetes. Excess blood sugar levels can damage the nerves and blood vessels of your inner ear. Similarly, low blood sugar levels also affect how the inner nerve signals travel to the brain.
There is no definite cause of hearing loss in people with diabetes. However, audiologists at hearing aids clinic in Kolkatasuggest that blood sugar levels outside the normal range may affect the blood supply to the nerves and blood vessels of the inner ear, resulting in hearing impairment.
The risk factors for hearing loss in diabetic patients are not clear. However, the chances of impaired hearing are high if you cannot maintain your blood sugar levels.
Also, there are other factors which might cause hearing loss if you have diabetes:
Treatment options for hearing loss in diabetic patients
To diagnose hearing loss in diabetic patients, an audiologist will ask about the symptoms and try to know the cause of hearing loss. Your audiologist in the hearing aids clinic will also conduct a painless hearing test to determine the type and severity of your hearing impairment.
If you experience sensorineural hearing loss, your audiologist will recommend personalized hearing aids.
Hearing loss treatment caused by diabetes also involves making certain lifestyle like eating a balanced diet rich in nutrients and avoiding starchy foods. Regular workout is also suggested.
If you suspect any signs of hearing loss, consult an audiologist to get the best hearing loss treatment in Kolkata and make an effective recovery.
People who begin to lose their hearing are aware that it can have a significant impact on their lives, but they may be surprised by how it can affect their emotions. They can become angry or frustrated very easily when they feel helpless or depressed because of this condition.
All of these are normal reactions. A specialist of hearing aids in Kolkataexplains how you can face your emotions and get through this difficult transition.
Don’t Keep Your Feelings to Yourself
Hearing loss can make you feel depressed or it might feel like the death of a part of you, but you must overcome it.
To do so, seek assistance from friends and family. You might also want to talk to a therapist about your feelings.
You will not become accustomed to living with hearing loss overnight. This is especially true for the elderly, who wait an average of seven years to admit they have a hearing problem and seek treatment.
When confronted with the condition, people frequently become isolated because social situations become significantly more difficult for them, says the expert of hearing test in Kolkata. If you’re the parent or spouse of someone who is hearing-impaired, here’s how you can assist them:
• Reduce background noise, such as the television or dishwasher.
• Before you begin talking, call or say their name.
• Speak clearly and slowly. Raising your voice can cause your words to sound distorted.
• When you speak, turn to face the person so they can see your mouth and gestures.
• Try to speak in well-lit, quiet and calm environments.
Know Your Options
When you learn more about hearing loss, you will be able to reduce your anxiety and begin to feel better, says the specialist of ear machines in Kolkata. There are also resources available to make your life easier. Seek the advice of a licensed audiologist, who can assist you in learning about:
• Treatment options like hearing aids or cochlear implants
• Support groups in your community
• What medical examinations you’ll require
It’s upsetting to watch a family member lose their hearing and do nothing about it. There are times when family and friends practically force or trick their loved one into going to the audiologist’s office. But you can’t make someone change, says the expert of hearing test in Kolkata.
Is there a better strategy?
Discuss with your loved one what they are missing out on in life and how these situations can be improved.
It may take some time for your brain to adjust to the sound coming from the hearing aid. Learning to listen again is an important part of the process, especially when it comes to speech comprehension.
When you lose your hearing, you may be concerned that you will lose your ability to communicate with those around you. But that is only true if you do not seek assistance.
Older adults who can’t hear well can also experience depression or anxiety. Hearing loss also impairs their ability to communicate with health care providers, emergency personnel and family members, posing a significant health risk.
But keep in mind that the condition is curable. Life is too short to miss the laughter of children or grandchildren, the sound of birds, or the sound of music. Take the risk and re-enter the game.
People with hearing loss might wonder if there is any way to restore their hearing to its original capacity. The short answer is: it depends. There are ear surgeries available to restore hearing if one has specific hearing loss. But only a tiny percentage of people with hearing loss are good candidates for surgery, says the audiologist of Hearing Plus, the best ear aid machine centre in Kolkata.
Sensorineural hearing loss
The most typical kind of hearing loss affecting adults is sensorineural hearing loss. It can happen for various reasons, such as old age, disease and infections, exposure to sudden or persistently loud noise, head or acoustic trauma, tumours, or medicines.
Sensorineural hearing loss signifies the inner ear’s hair cells of the nerve pathways have been damaged. These hair cells found in the cochlea translate vibrations into electrical impulses that are carried to the brain by sensory nerves.
Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and once damaged, the auditory nerve and cilia cannot be repaired. But, depending on the seriousness of the damage, sensorineural hearing issues can be treated with cochlear implants or hearing aids.
Treatments for hearing loss
Hearing aids have advanced a lot in the last few years, says the digital ear machine expert. About 80 per cent of hearing loss cases can be treated with hearing aids. Nine out of ten hearing aid users report progress in their quality of life. The use of hearing machines is linked with a reduction in anger, frustration, paranoia and anxiety. It also enhances emotional stability and higher cognitive function.
People with severe to profound sensorineural hearing can have partial hearing restored with a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant bypasses the impaired part of the auditory system to stimulate the auditory nerve.
According to theear aid machineexpert, cochlear implant surgery is usually performed outpatient after a thorough diagnosis. This includes an ear test and its anatomy, the auditory system and a comprehensive physical examination to determine the patient’s health. Most surgeons will not conduct a cochlear implant surgery unless the patient has tried hearing aids without benefit. Because this surgery is highly invasive, it is reserved for only the most severe patients.
Treatment for conductive hearing loss
Conductive hearing issue occurs when there is an obstruction or impairment to the outer or middle ear. It stops sound from being conducted to the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. It depends on the cause and sometimes, medical or surgical intervention can restore hearing.
Surgery can correct conductive hearing loss due to malformation, congenital absence, dysfunction of the middle ear structures, otosclerosis, or the congenital absence of ear canal or failure of the ear canal to be open at birth. Amplification can be a solution using a bone-conduction hearing aid, a conventional hearing aid, or a surgically implanted osseointegrated device, depending on the status of the hearing nerve.
Have you ever thought that obesity or weight gain might also lead to hearing loss? Several factors can lead to hearing loss, like loud noise, physical head injury, and age factor. But you might not be aware that obesity can also cause hearing issues. However, it does not look like it would be linked directly to hearing loss, but several factors due to additional weight gain can adversely affect hearing ability. This is the reason why many people undergo hearing loss treatment after suffering from hearing problem due to obesity.
Causes of hearing loss due to obesity
There are several causes due to which obesity can lead to hearing problems. Let’s go through some of the causes.
Your weight gain can indirectly affect your hearing ability in an adverse way due to various reasons. Obesity can result in cholesterol growth within the arteries, which can lead to blood clots. If such blood flow restriction happens in the ear cells, it might permanently damage your hearing ability. The blockage in arteries due to cholesterol can cause irreplaceable damage to your ear.
Excessive fat and cholesterol in your body can also have a high chance of a heart attack or cerebral attack. At the same time, brain stroke can also damage your hearing ability if the blood flow stops through the sensory nerves to your ears.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure and diabetes due to obesity can badly affect the condition of your ears. According to medical studies, oxygen and healthy blood flow contribute to keeping healthy ear cells. As obesity strains your capillary wall, it struggles to provide efficient transportation of oxygen to your ear cells.
If you notice any of these aspects of obesity that have affected your hearing ability, then you should immediately visit the nearby clinic to get the best hearing loss treatment.
Why is Hearing Loss Treatment important?
If you have experienced hearing loss due to obesity or any other factor, then hearing aids in Kolkata can help you to retrieve your hearing ability. There are several benefits of hearing aids which are mentioned below:
Hearing aids improve your hearing ability.
It can also minimize deterioration in psychological functioning due to hearing impairment.
Hearing machine can reverse communication and emotional and social dysfunctions caused due to hearing impairment.
Hearing aids can allow users to enjoy a better hearing experience than non-users (deaf or partially).
It can also help in developing social communication by reducing loneliness.
These are the reasons why it is recommended to consult an audiologist in case of hearing loss to get the best hearing loss treatment in Kolkataand to make an effective recovery.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of actual external sound. Ringing in the ears is a common term for this condition. While ringing is the most common sound in this condition, some may hear buzzing, hissing, swooshing, whistling, or clicking. Patients may even hear music in rare cases, says a well-known expert of hearing aids in Kolkata.
IS THERE ANY CURE FOR TINNITUS?
Tinnitus can be caused by various factors, including loud noises, acoustic trauma, hearing loss, and even some medications. Certain medical conditions can also cause tinnitus.
Tinnitus has no known cure as so many things can trigger it, but there are some treatments that can help.
There are various subtypes of tinnitus, and the reason is not always evident, making designing an effective therapy to treat it challenging, says the expert of hearing machines in Kolkata.
HOW IS TINNITUS DETECTED?
An audiologist will test your hearing. You will sit in a soundproof room wearing headphones for this exam. Sounds will be played into one ear at a time, and you will be asked to response when you can hear them. The findings are compared to what is deemed typical for your age, and they are then used to rule out potential causes of tinnitus.
Your movement may also be scrutinized. You may be asked to move your eyes, tighten your jaw, or move your arms, legs, and neck by the audiologist. If your tinnitus changes when you move in a specific way, this might aid in determining the source.
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT TINNITUS?
As previously stated, there is no known cure for tinnitus, but there are methods and therapies that can help manage it, says the expert of hearing aids in Kolkata.
Hearing aids are typically recommended by audiologists to people with tinnitus as it helps to reduce the noises created by the disorder. Even if no hearing loss exists, hearing aids are a typical therapy for tinnitus.
If your tinnitus keeps you awake at night, play white noise or relaxing sounds like rain or ocean waves. White noise can help you sleep better and drown out tinnitus ringing. White noise from a fan or a dehumidifier may also aid in your sleep, says the expert of Hearing Plus, a center of thebest ear machines In Kolkata.