Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have hearing loss?

Several warning signs may suggest a decline in hearing, including:

  • Frequently asking people to repeat themselves

 

  • Difficulty hearing someone unless they are facing you

 

  • Struggling to understand conversations in crowded places or environments with background noise

 

  • Finding it hard to follow conversations involving two or more people

 

  • Increasing difficulty hearing or understanding the television

 

  • Feeling like people are mumbling when they talk to you

Unless the hearing loss is sudden, which may be treated with certain medications, or a type that can be surgically corrected, most hearing loss related to aging cannot be cured or reversed.

Around 36 million American adults experience some degree of hearing loss. The likelihood of hearing loss increases with age, with about one-third of adults aged 65 to 74 affected and nearly half of those aged 75 and older.

Some inherited forms of hearing loss manifest early in life, with some cases even present at birth. If a family member experiences early-onset hearing loss, it’s important to monitor their children or siblings. Other forms, such as otosclerosis, may appear later in childhood or even into the 30s. If there’s a concern about hereditary hearing loss, it’s wise to have family members tested.

Not necessarily. Only about 13% of physicians routinely screen for hearing loss. Since many people with hearing impairments can hear well in quiet settings (like a doctor’s office), it can be challenging for your physician to detect the issue. Only a trained hearing professional can accurately assess the severity of your hearing loss, determine if you would benefit from a hearing aid, and recommend the best type for your needs.

While no hearing aid can fully restore your hearing to normal (except in cases of very mild hearing loss), our hearing aids are designed to help you hear soft sounds that were previously inaudible and prevent loud sounds from becoming uncomfortably loud. They are also engineered to enhance your ability to understand speech, even in noisy environments.

Inexpensive models are essentially basic amplifiers that make everything louder, including all the ambient noise around you. Unlike today’s more advanced hearing aids, they cannot distinguish human voices from background sounds or detect directional sounds, which are crucial features for clearer and more comfortable hearing.

At their core, hearing aids function as microphones that convert sound into electrical signals. These signals are then amplified, and a receiver converts them back into sound, directing it into the ear canal through a small tube or earmold. A battery powers the hearing aid, enabling the amplification process.

While appearance is naturally a concern, compensating for hearing loss by frequently asking people to repeat themselves, responding inappropriately, or withdrawing from social situations is often more noticeable than wearing a hearing aid. Today’s hearing aids are smaller, more discreet, and stylish than ever before—some are even invisible. Once you start using a hearing aid, the improvement in your quality of life will likely outweigh any concerns about appearance.

If you have any specific questions you’d like answered, or if you have concerns that we can address, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us using the button below.

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