ENT specialists are the most appropriate physicians to treat disorders of the ears, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. If you have any medical condition regarding diseases of the ear, the ear specialist is able to treat ear infection; swimmer's ear; hearing loss; ear pain; dizziness and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Hearing loss in Singapore happens when there is a problem with one or more parts of the ear or ears. To understand how and why hearing loss happens, it helps to know the component parts of the ear and how the ear works. The ear is made up of three different sections: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. These parts work together so you can hear and process sounds.
Hearing aids are not the only hearing loss treatments available. There are other options, including middle ear implants and cochlear implants. But before you can get a hearing aid or any other hearing device, you need to first find out what's causing your hearing loss.
hearing loss can be caused by many different causes, some of which can be successfully treated with medicine or surgery, depending on the disease process.
Three types of hearing loss and treatments
1) Conductive hearing loss - This happens when there is a problem with a part of the outer or middle ear that is blocking sound from going to the inner ear. This type of hearing loss and it is usually mild and temporary because in most cases medical treatment can help.
2) Sensorineural hearing loss. This happens when there is a problem in the inner ear or with the connection from the inner ear to the brain. This can happen when the tiny hair cells in the cochlea are damaged or destroyed. Depending on the loss, a kid might: hear most sounds; hear in quiet but not in noise; hear only some sounds; or hear no sounds at all. Sensorineural hearing impairment is almost always permanent and a kid's ability to talk normally may be affected.
3) Mixed hearing loss - refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve.
How is hearing loss treated?
The kind of treatment depends on the type of hearing loss and how severe it is. Common treatments include medicine, operations, hearing aids, or other assistive listening devices, which emphasize voices and help kids hear better in noisy settings. With early treatment, most kids will be able to hear normally again, and most importantly, will be able to develop speech and language.
Hearing aids are like tiny amplifiers. They help make sounds louder and can even pick up the sounds so that what people hear is clearer.
For some kids who can't hear or understand words even with the help of hearing aids, there is a device called a cochlear implant. It takes over the job of the damaged or destroyed hair cells in the cochlea by turning sounds into electrical signals that stimulate the hearing nerve directly.
No comments:
Post a Comment