General Information About Hearing Aids Explore Treatments For Hearing Loss

General Information About Hearing Aids Explore Treatments For Hearing Loss

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A hearing aid, by definition, is a small electronic device that is worn in or behind the ear. It makes sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate and participate more fully in day-to-day activities.

There are three basic parts to a hearing aid: a microphone, amplifier, and speaker. The sound is received through the microphone where the sound waves are then converted to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier then increases the power of the signals and sends them to the ear via the speaker.

Hearing aids are primarily useful for improving the hearing and speech comprehension of patients who suffer from sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss results from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear. These cells are called cilia and once damaged or destroyed, cannot be renewed or replaced.

This damage to the cilia can occur from disease, medications, or prolonged exposure to loud noises. Injury and the normal aging process can also play a part in this type of hearing loss. The hearing aid serves to magnify the sounds as they enter into the ear. Surviving cilia detect them and turn them into neural signals that are then passed to the brain. The more cilia that are damaged, the more pronounced the hearing loss will become. An increase in hearing loss will result in the need for greater amplification of noises by the hearing aid.

There are, of course, practical limits to the amount of amplification a hearing aid can provide. That is why it is important to take good care of your ears. Stay away from noisy environments when possible and try not to place yourself in situations where you will receive prolonged exposure to loud noise. To deal with hearing loss, consult an audiologist.


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