Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is unique like a fingerprint. No two people, have the same type or degree of hearing loss. Hearing tests or audiometric evaluations are used to diagnose hearing loss. The results from the audiometric evaluation are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Hearing Care Professionals are able to determine what hearing aid technology and aural rehabilitation plan should be followed to achieve better listening once this test is complete.
This type of hearing loss means that sound waves are not able to travel through the outer and/or middle ear but the inner ear and auditory nerve are functioning normally.
The degree of a hearing loss refers to the severity of loss. The following chart shows the different degrees of hearing loss.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is an abnormal perception of a sound which is reported by patients that is unrelated to an external source of stimulation. Tinnitus is a very common disorder. Tinnitus may originate from various lesions and from different sites. The auditory system involves highly complicated inner ear structures, many afferent and efferent nerve pathways and a great amount of nuclei that form a complex meshwork.
Tinnitus is a symptom or side effect of other health issues. It is often associated with hearing loss. Having amplification (hearing aids) can sometimes "cure" tinnitus. Most hearing aids also have a tinnitus-masker built in, which can alleviate the suffering caused by tinnitus, if amplification does not eliminate it.