Do I Qualify for Hearing Aids?

Do I Qualify for Hearing Aids?

Are you experiencing troubling hearing? Sounds seem muffled, low, or even absent. At Parker Ear, Nose & Throat of Fairfield County, your otolaryngologist, Dr. Andrew Parker may want you to investigate hearing aids. Our Norwalk, CT, area patients benefit from his ENT and hearing exams. Together, you'll determine if you qualify for hearing aids.

What? I can't hear you.

If you've been saying this a lot, you may need a hearing exam. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that normal hearing thresholds are 25 decibels or higher. When your ability to detect sounds drops below this level, you have hearing loss, and it may occur in a single ear or both.

Factors such as heredity, exposure to loud noise, multiple ear infections, and certain chemicals, as well as the aging process, lead to hearing loss. Frankly, hearing loss means more than missed sounds. Poor hearing impairs changes interpersonal relationships, the ability to earn a living and to enjoy music, conversation, and other activities. For children, hearing loss greatly impacts speech, language, and academic development.

How we can help

At Parker Ear, Nose & Throat of Fairfield County in Norwalk, CT, Dr. Parker, and his team want their patients to have the best hearing possible. As such, they offer state of the art hearing tests which will pinpoint if you have a loss, what kind it is, and if hearing aids would benefit you.

These symptoms indicate you need testing:

  • You ask people to repeat themselves.
  • You have difficulty hearing in theaters and crowded situations, such as family parties.
  • Large gatherings leave you exhausted.
  • You listen to the TV, computer, or radio at a much louder volume than others do.
  • Talking on the telephone is challenging.
  • Words containing s, f, th, or, sh sounds are easily misunderstood.
  • You cannot tell where sounds are originating.

Kinds of hearing aids

Your particular type of hearing loss, its severity, and other factors determine what kind of hearing aid is best for you. Types of instruments include:

  • Behind the ear
  • In the ear
  • In the canal
  • Receiver in the canal middle ear implant

Regardless of your hearing aid type, your instrument will amplify some of the sound frequencies you struggle with. For people with tinnitus or ringing in the ears, your hearing aid will help cancel some of that bothersome sound.

While hearing aids are a great help, they do not correct your hearing to 100 percent normal as your glasses can help with your vision. However, most hearing aid wearers say they benefit greatly from their advanced technology, and they enjoy a clearer sound and better interpretation of sounds when they use their devices consistently.

Learn more

At Parker Ear, Nose & Throat of Fairfield County, Dr. Andrew Parker has on-site equipment to qualify you for hearing aids as needed. Don't wait to take advantage of his expertise. Call our Norwalk, CT, office for an appointment: (203) 866-8121.