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Understanding Meniere’s Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Meniere’s Disease is a chronic condition that affects the inner ear and causes a variety of symptoms such as vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and aural fullness. Understanding the symptoms, causes, and treatment of this condition is crucial to managing its effects. What is Meniere’s Disease? Meniere’s Disease is a condition that affects the inner ear …

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Exploring the Statistics of Hearing Loss in Veterans

Hearing loss is a significant health issue among veterans, and its impact is often underestimated. According to recent studies, hearing loss affects approximately 60% of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, while around 25% of all veterans report hearing problems. These numbers are alarming, but what is behind these statistics? Let’s dive deeper and …

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Exploring the Hearing Aid Industry: A Look at the Latest Statistics

Hearing aids have become an essential tool for millions of people worldwide who suffer from hearing loss. As per the latest statistics, the global hearing aid market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years due to an aging population and increasing awareness of hearing healthcare. This article explores various aspects of the hearing …

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Exploring the Wonders of Sound Waves

Discover the fascinating world of sound waves and their incredible properties in our latest article, “Exploring the Wonders of Sound Waves.” From the science behind how sound travels to the ways we use it in everyday life, this article will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the power of sound..

The “Occlusion Effect” — What it is, and What to Do About it

by Mark Ross, Ph.D. This article first appeared in Hearing Loss (Jan/Feb 2004) The occlusion effect is not a new phenomenon and has been described here before. Still, it is a serious and continuing problem for some hearing aid users and thus is the kind of topic that merits some repetition now and then. It relates to …

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Classroom Sound-Field Systems

Much has been written about classroom sound-field amplification systems since they were first introduced about twenty years ago. As their potential contribution to children in classrooms becomes increasingly clear, there now appears to be a developing professional consensus regarding their efficacy. Indeed, those professionals who use and/or evaluate classroom sound-field system view them as one …

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Hearing Aid Services and Satisfaction: The Consumer Viewpoint

introduction In the U.S. today, a person can purchase hearing aids from two types of dispensers: Audiologists and Hearing Instrument Specialists (formally known as hearing aid dealers). Both groups are licensed to dispense hearing aids, but come to this activity based on significantly different paths of formal education and training.  There is no information that indicates …

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The Audiogram: Explanation and Significance

Recently, I’ve been trying to organize some of the columns and articles I’ve written over the past ten years. As I was looking through them, it became apparent that I’ve neglected to discuss what is perhaps most important hearing dimension of all, the simple audiogram. In reality, however, the “simple” audiogram, and particularly its implications, …

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Feedback Cancellation Systems and Open-Ear Hearing Aid Fitting

The presence, or threat, of acoustic feedback has long been one of the major problems in the fitting and wearing of hearing aids. Acoustic feedback occurs when some of the amplified sound leaks from the ear canal and is picked up by the hearing aid microphone and then re-amplified. This starts the cycle of leakage …

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Some Reflections on Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Hearing Aids

So-called digital hearing aids are an outgrowth of the computer revolution that is transforming our entire society. Today, digital technology has been applied to hearing aids in two distinct formats: Digitally programmable analog signal-processing (ASP) instruments and digitally programmable digital signal processing (DSP) Digital encoding in the latter technology is proving to be an economical …

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MULTICHANNEL AND MULTI-MICROPHONE DIRECTIONAL HEARING AIDS: Fitting Procedures and Evaluation of Current and Emergent Technology

The most common complaint of those who wear hearing aids, by far, is interference from background noise and reverberation (e.g. echoing environments). The RERC for Hearing Enhancement has been working on techniques for reducing the effects of background noise and reverberation on speech clarity. Thus far, improvements shown with single microphone input are small, if …

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Dr. Mark Ross is a Principal Investigator of the RERC on Hearing Enhancement,

  Professor Emeritus of Audiology, University of Connecticut and has served as Vice President of the SHHH Board of Trustees. He writes a regular column for Hearing Loss Magazine- The Journal of the Hearing Loss Association of America, called “Developments in Research and Technology.” He has published and lectured extensively on topics dealing with hearing …

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Dr. Ross on Hearing Loss Noise Reduction Hearing Aids: Why They’re Needed, and How They Work

Some years ago on a visit to New York, my family and I decided to have brunch at one of the “in” places in Greenwich Village. As we entered, we were greeted by the happy chatter of other diners. While these sounds would be a problem for me, it was an expected one and one …

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Evaluating the Performance of a Hearing Aid in the Real-Ear

Years ago, the usual audiometry session consisted of pure-tone threshold testing across frequency (the audiogram) and, for a “comprehensive” examination, it included a test of word intelligibility under quiet conditions. Compared to that period, we now have a plethora of tests to evaluate a person’s auditory status. Diagnostic hearing tests can identify abnormalities anywhere in …

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