Hearing Evaluations & Testing are Crucial for Long-Term Hearing Health
At Cody Audiology Clinic we perform comprehensive hearing evaluations. We recommended regular hearing checkups as you do for your dental or vision even if you don’t currently have any symptoms. You could have an impairment and not know about it. Over time, these conditions can get worse and impact your ability to enjoy your daily life. During our comprehensive hearing evaluations, we will:
Discuss your medical history.
Talk about your current lifestyle to get a better understanding of how hearing loss is impacting your daily life.
Use state-of-the-art equipment so we can determine your current hearing ability.
Participating in a hearing test is easy and completely painless. We’ll gain a better understanding of the volumes and frequencies you can hear as well as how well you understand the speech of others. If you do have hearing loss, we will provide you with comprehensive information so that you can decide which course of treatment is right for you.
Hearing Loss in One Ear Versus Hearing Loss in Both Ears
Hearing loss doesn’t always affect both ears. Sometimes, you can have hearing loss in one ear; this is also known as unilateral hearing loss or unilateral deafness. But hearing loss in one ear or both ears can happen due to a variety of reasons, such as:
Aging
Chronic ear infections
The use of particular drugs
Certain infectious diseases
Exposure to excessive noise
Genetic causes
Complications at birth
Some of these causes are reversable but some are due to natural processes (like aging). If you have hearing loss in one ear, you could be a candidate for a variety of treatments or a single hearing aid. Hearing loss in both ears may necessitate two hearing aids, but it really depends on your evaluation and specific condition. Our hearing evaluations are designed to assess exactly which part of your ear isn’t functioning and thus allows us to create the most appropriate treatment plan for your needs.
IMPROVE YOUR HEARING HEALTH. BECAUSE LIFE IS WORTH LISTENING TO!
There Are Four Different Types of Hearing Loss
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
The most common type of hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss occurs due to a problem with the inner ear or auditory nerve. It presents itself when either the auditory nerve or the hair-like cells in the cochlea have sustained damage or are missing. This results in the inability to send complete nerve signals to the brain. This kind of hearing loss can be caused by the following:
Genetics
Malformation of the inner ear
Exposure to loud noise
Aging
Head trauma
Illnesses
Drugs that are toxic to hearing (ototoxicity)
Although rather uncommon and typically temporary, a conductive hearing loss is caused when an issue in the outer or middle ear blocks sound from the inner ear. Treatment involves the use of medication or surgery. Some individuals opt to use hearing aids to improve their hearing ability. Conductive hearing loss can be caused by:
Ear infections
Benign tumors
Swimmer’s Ear
Foreign object in the ear
Fluid in the middle ear from colds
Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear
Allergies
Perforated eardrum
Impacted cerumen (earwax)
Conductive Hearing Loss
Mixed Hearing Loss
When multiple parts of the ear’s anatomy are damaged, a mixed hearing loss can occur. In most cases, both the middle or outer ear along with the auditory nerve or inner ear have sustained an injury of some type or have encountered one of the conditions listed above. The conductive hearing loss present may be reversible while the sensorineural hearing loss is often permanent.
Auditory Processing Disorders
Rather than a hearing impairment which affects the ability to detect sounds, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) causes individuals to struggle with their ability to organize, analyze, and interpret noises around them. While all parts of the ear are functioning properly, the auditory processing centers in the brain do not function normally and it is often due to a tumor, disease, injury, heredity, or an unknown cause. APD does not always include hearing loss and many times the treatments for this disorder are dramatically different when compared to treatment for a hearing loss.
STATE-OF-THE-ART HEARING HEALTHCARE
Cody Audiology Clinic Services
THE BEST AUDIOLOGY SERVICES IN THE BIG HORN BASIN, WYOMING AND SOUTHERN MONTANA
