Hearing Loss

Offering Solutions for Hearing Loss in the GTA

For years, Hear for You has been making sure people throughout the Greater Toronto Area hear all the sounds the world has to offer. Our hearing specialists and hearing instrument practitioners have years of experience working with hearing aids and other assistive listening devices. We understand that hearing loss solutions are not a one size fits all. While many people associate hearing loss in the GTA with the elderly, it can impact people of all ages. Many people 65 years of age and younger experience some type of loss. If you’re concerned about your hearing, contact our audiologists to schedule your personal assessment.

There are three basic types of hearing loss:

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, (ossicles), of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves the reduction in the perception of sound level based on a compromise of the middle or outer ear. This type of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected. Those with this type of loss stand to benefit greatly from a hearing aid.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural Hearing Loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear (retrocochlear) to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent loss. Most physicians call this condition “nerve deafness”. Sensorinerural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, but also affects speech understanding.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed Hearing Loss occurs when a person experiences two types hearing loss in the same ear - conductive and sensorineural. This is called mixed hearing loss. Hearing aids are used to help correct the conductive hearing loss.

Do You Need a Hearing Test?

Take a moment to look through the questions below:

Do people complain that the television or radio volume is too loud?

Do you find it difficult to have conversations in groups?

Do you have trouble having conversations when it’s noisy?

Do you feel anxious or frustrated when you are left out of the conversation?

Do you find people mumble?

Do you mistaken words or unsure of whether people said, “Hi or I”, “bake or take”?

Do you give up on conversations because you can’t hear?

Do you have trouble listening on the telephone?

If a hearing loss is suspected, then you should see an audiologist. When describing hearing loss, three attributes are looked: type of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, and the configuration of the hearing loss. Impairments in hearing can happen in frequency or intensity, or both. Hearing loss severity is based on how well you can hear the frequencies or intensities associated with speech. Severity can be described as mild, moderate, severe, or profound.

Fact: 1 in 10 Canadians Experience Hearing Loss

There are many causes of hearing loss:

Fluid in the middle ear from colds, allergies, poor Eustachian tube function, ear infection, perforated eardrum, benign tumors

Impacted earwax (cerumen)

Infection in the ear canal (external otitis)

Presence of a foreign body

Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear

Diseases

Birth injury

Drugs that are toxic to the auditory system

Genetic syndromes

Noise exposure

Viruses

Head trauma

Aging

Book a Hearing Test in Etobicoke

If you said yes to any of the questions above, a free hearing test can provide you with the answers as to why you may be having some of these difficulties. Call us for an appointment today.

Blog

Want hearing aids that fit your lifestyle? Make sure you try them first!