HEARING WELL CLUB WHAT DOES YOUR AUDIOGRAM SAY ABOUT HEARING LOSS? SHANNON RICCI, M.A. & JANIS S. UFFENHEIMER, AU. D. NEWPORT AUDIOLOGY/CONNECT HEARING

What is hearing loss? The ear is Made up of 3 parts The outer ear (ear canal and pinna) B. The middle ear (eardrum and ossicles) C. The inner ear (Cochlea or hearing nerve) Hearing loss is the result of damage to any of these ear parts

Conductive vs. Sensorineural hearing loss Conductive Loss: Problem in the outer or middle ear Causes: Excessive earwax, ear infection or fluid in the middle ear Stiffness in the bones of the middle ear (Otosclerosis) Conductive hearing loss is treated by a physician

SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS Sensorineural Loss (Nerve Deafness) The hearing nerve is damaged and cannot send signals to the brain Causes: Noise exposure Hereditary factors Decline in hearing with age Sensorineural loss cannot be corrected with medicine or surgery Hearing aids can be very helpful Sensorineural hearing loss

AUDITORY SYSTEM

AUDIOGRAM How to Read an Audiogram: A pure tone audiogram is a graph the pitches (frequencies) across the top loudness (intensity) down the side. This graph registers the loudness at which different sounds need to be in order to be heard. An audiologist fills in the graph using symbols to mark the points at which sounds begin to be heard.

AUDIOGRAM SYMBOLS Symbols: Left ear measurements. Usually marked blue ink: X or BOX. Right ear measurements. Usually marked in red ink: O or Triangle > < or ] [ To mark bone conduction thresholds.

HEARING LOSS CONFIGURATIONS SLOPING GRADUAL SKI SLOPE FLAT REVERSE SLOPE UNILATERAL

COOKIE BITE HEARING LOSS

DEGREE OF HEARING LOSS Mild Loss: May hear some speech sounds but soft sounds hard to hear normal level Moderate Loss: May hear Almost no speech when a person Is talking at a normal level And only some loud sounds Severe Loss: Will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level and only some loud sounds Profound Hearing loss: Will not hear any speech and only hear and maybe only feel some very very loud sounds

Other Terms Unilateral Hearing Loss: Have a hearing loss in only one ear; Will have more difficulty in background noise and finding the source of a sound Symmetrical or Asymmetrical: Hearing loss is the same in both (symmerical) Hearing loss is different for each ear (asymmetrical) Progressive or Sudden: Hearing loss worsens over time (progressive); Hearing loss happens quickly (sudden- See your ENT immediately) Fluctuating or Stable: Hearing Loss gets better or worse (fluctuating) or stays the same (stable) Word Recognition: A measure of how well you can hear and recognize speech when presented at a comfortable listening level. People with the same degree/configuration of hearing loss may have different word recognition abilities and thus have different abilities with amplification

How hearing loss affects speech understanding Hearing Loss is documented on an Audiogram Most people with sensorineural hearing loss have difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds Speech understanding requires hearing the soft, high-pitch sounds Vowels = loudness Consonants = Speech intelligibility Audible Not Audible

“Seed” “Deed” “Greed” “Need” Most people with hearing loss have difficulty with high pitch sounds, like “s”, “ch”, “th”, “f” and “z”

WHEN DO I NEED A HEARING AID? No outward visible signs usually occurs gradually, and your close Friends and family members may notice it before you do. You don’t always know what you missed, because you didn’t hear it. Sometimes, things may sound loud enough, but not be clear. At first, you may only have a problem on the telephone, or with television, or only in background noise. You may have the perception that you’re hearing fine, if other people would just stop mumbling. Link to dementia, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it

What should I do first? Research re: “use it or lose it” principle, Speak with your family members and close friends to see how they feel your hearing is; Don’t let them continue to be your living hearing aid If you think you have a hearing loss, you probably do Get your hearing tested Research re: “use it or lose it” principle, In order to be fully engaged in life, you need to be fully engaged everywhere

Questions? THANK YOU! Newport Audiology/Connect Hearing 800-675-5485