one good ear · 2018. 7. 16. · one good ear more information to consult with an audiologist about...
TRANSCRIPT
Need to know information from Chattanooga Health & Beauty professionals.Every Wednesday
Single-sided deaf-ness, a condition in which a person has profound hear-
ing loss in one ear and normal hearing sensitivi-ty in another ear, is more common and bothersome than many people realize, according to Dr. Megan Johnson of Johnson Audi-ology.
Approximately 55,000 new cases are identified each year in the United States alone.
Though the precise ori-gin of SSD is not always identified, it may be caused by viral infections, a sudden and prolonged decrease in blood pressure, Meniere’s disease (an inner ear dis-order which causes spin-ning), a stroke within the inner ear, genetic defects, vascular diseases, physi-cal trauma to head or ear, autoimmune diseases and surgical removal of tumors within the lower brainstem.
Various struggles asso-ciated with this condition exist that are not readily acknowledged or under-stood by the general public.
Dr. Courtney Guthrie of Johnson Audiology said that though a person with SSD hears normally with one ear, dynamic environ-ments can provide unique challenges. The Johnson Audiology team explained how the auditory system is structured to receive information from both the right and left ears to pro-vide specific cues to the central auditory cortex of the brain for appropriate sound processing. When only one ear is capable of
providing auditory stimu-lation to the brain, sound localization and hearing in background noise are neg-atively affected.
For people suffering from SSD, the most com-mon complaint is difficulty understanding conversa-tions in group gatherings or restaurants.
“A person with SSD experiences extreme dif-ficulty separating noise from the speech they want to hear, which makes social engagements intimidat-ing, stressful and simply exhausting,” said Dr. Lara Ford of Johnson Audiology.
People with SSD are not able to easily locate sounds in their environments.
“Identifying the location of traffic sounds or a loved one calling your atten-tion, for example, can be a daunting task, not to men-tion a safety hazard,” said Dr. Susan Porter of Johnson Audiology.
Commonly this con-dition is not addressed because of a lack of aware-ness of the condition and available treatment options by some practitioners and the general public.
“Unfortunately, people suffer unnecessary reduc-tions in quality of life from this condition when excel-lent intervention options are available,” said Dr. Lydia Dudney of Johnson Audiology.
In the past, people with SSD were left untreated and informed their hearing was adequate based on the presence of one normal ear.
“At Johnson Audiology, we understand the signif-
icant social and psycho-logical impacts when SSD is not treated appropriate-ly,” said Dr. Anna Wade of Johnson Audiology.
The Johnson audiolo-gists explained that people with SSD are presented with a unique impairment that requires lifestyle changes to better cope with routine occupational and recreational settings and ensure their safety.
Several types of hearing devices are currently used to alleviate the effects of SSD. Depending on one’s acoustical needs, personal desires and medical health, one option may be more appropriate than another. People should discuss these options with their audiol-ogist.
1. Contralateral Routing Of Signals hearing aid - With a CROS aid, a person wears a device on the poor-er ear that transmits sound signals from that side wire-lessly to an instrument on the better ear. If a person has some hearing loss in their better ear as well, a BiCROS device can address their acoustic needs for both ears.
2. Bone conduction hearing aid - With a bone-conduction hearing instrument, a bone vibra-tor is held on the mastoid
bone behind the poorer ear by a soft or rigid headband. The aid detects sounds and transmits the information through micro-vibrations of the skull to the better ear. Brands include the Cochle-ar Baha and Oticon Ponto.
3. Bone-anchored hear-ing aid - A bone-anchored hearing instrument acts similarly to the bone conduction hearing aid. It requires the surgical placement of a magnet or titanium screw within the mastoid bone behind the poorer ear. The hearing aid is then attached to the screw or magnet following surgical recovery for opti-mal sound transmission via vibrations of the skull to the better ear. Brands include Cochlear Baha, Oti-con Ponto and Medtronic Sophono.
One of the goals at John-son Audiology is to educate the public on issues that are not widely recognized.
“There are many peo-ple suffering from this condition who are sim-ply unaware of the avail-able treatment options that could improve their communication in various environments, improve their safety and increase their quality of life,” said Johnson.
Noteworthy:“There are many people suffering from [single-sided deafness] who are simply unaware of the available treatment options that could improve their communication in various environments, improve their safety and increase their quality of life,” said Dr. Megan Johnson of Johnson Audiology.
One good ear
MORE INFORMATIONTo consult with an audiologist about single-sided deafness, hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears), contact Johnson Audiology at 423-933-3623 to schedule a consultation.
Fifty-five thousand new cases of single-sided deafness are identified each year in the United States.
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