Hearing Loss Centre In Australia

1. Welcome To Hearing Loss

2. Hearing Loss Hearing is one of the senses human beings are blessed with. There are some common causes of hearing loss include too much ear wax and cholesteatoma. • How Hearing Works • Signs of Hearing loss • Hearing loss caused by too much ear wax • Conductive Hearing Loss • Hearing loss Overview • Tinnitus Overview • Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Facts and Figures

3. How Hearing Works When we speak we generate sound that travels in the form of sound waves that are then collected by the ear. The sound waves are then focused on the ear canal and travels down the ear canal, where it hits the ear drum. The ear drum vibrates in sync with the original sound and transfers the sound via the middle ear bones to the inner ear or cochlea. In the cochlea sound waves are converted to electrical impulses, which are then sent to the brain for interpretation. So essentially the ear is a microphone, while the brain is actually the organ that interprets what we hear.

4. Signs Of Hearing Loss Untreated hearing loss can have some significant quality of life implications such as: • Reduced income due to frequently missing opportunities, due to lack of confidence, not contributing to meetings etc. • Less social interactions due to difficulty hearing speech in noise • Reduced confidence in social interaction due to frequently mishearing Conversation • Feeling exhausted in social interaction due to the amount of concentration required to hear "properly" • Depression and Frustration and Anxiety in social situations

5. Hearing loss caused by too much ear wax Ear wax is a necessary part of  the outer ear and helps prevent fungal and bacterial infections, while keeping the ear canal lubricated. Normally the ear is self cleansing, but in some ears, this mechanism is impaired by excess ear hair or a smaller ear canal blocking the normal clearing of the wax. In these cases the wax could build up to such an extent to cause temporary hearing loss, requiring manual removal by your doctor or audiologist.

6. Conductive Hearing Loss Conductive hearing loss is hearing loss caused by a blockage of the outer or middle ear, preventing sound waves from reaching the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss often requires medical intervention and can range from very simple such a s too much ear wax right through to more serious conditions such as cholesteatoma which is a cyst growing into the middle ear. An audiologist performs several tests that may help identify a conductive hearing loss. If such a loss is identified then the appropriate referral would be made.

7. Hearing loss Overview Hearing loss is the third most common medical complaint and falls into one of two main categories. The first category is conductive hearing loss, where a blockage in the outer or middle ear blocks sound waves from reaching the inner ear. The most common type of hearing loss is sensory neural hearing loss, where there is damage to the nerves of the inner ear, reducing the amount of sound information reaching the brain. Hearing aids are most often prescribed for sensory neural hearing loss, while medical intervention is often required for conductive hearing loss. One could also suffer from mixed hearing loss, where both a conductive and sensory neural hearing loss is present simultaneously.

8. Tinnitus Overview Tinnitus is a ringing or another noise that you hear in your had or ears, which is not generated from the outside. It cannot be cured, but there are various techniques to help the sufferer effectively ignore and adjust to the tinnitus. Some people can achieve so much relief with appropriate help, that they do not hear their tinnitus unless they concentrate on it. The first step in identifying the cause of you tinnitus is to have your hearing tested as tinnitus is most often a symptom of hearing loss.You don't just have to live with it!

9. Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Facts and Figures • Hearing loss affects 1 in 6 Australians (total population). • Hearing loss affects around 3 out of 4 Australians above 70 years of age. • A total of about 3.55 million Australians suffer hearing loss. • About 37% of hearing loss can be attributed to excessive noise exposure. • About 75% of persons with hearing loss has it in both ears. • Around 95% of people with hearing loss can be treated by hearing aids. Only about 5% can be treated through medical or surgical treatments. • More males (16.1%) than females (9.7%) suffer from hearing loss. • 100% of children with suffer a temporary hearing loss due to ear infections at least once before the age of 18 years. • Tinnitus can be a symptom of hearing loss or other auditory system disorders. • 17% of the worlds population is affected by tinnitus (about 3.57 million Australians). • About 30% of people over the age of 65 Years report tinnitus. • More men than women experience tinnitus. • 4% of people suffer significant tinnitus (about 840 000 people in Australia). • Noise exposure is by far the most common cause of tinnitus perception. • Customers report 92% satisfaction with hearing health care professionals. • 90% of hearing aid users report an improvement in their quality of life.

10. Contact Us Suite 7, 16 Kearns Crescent Ardross , WA , 61531800 157 429 (08) 6102 6861 http://www.valuehearing.com.au