Hear Me Out!

AAA Wrap-Up

Last week was the annual convention of the American Academy of Audiology, held in Boston. It was nice to be back in that city -- I lived in Cambridge, MA for a brief time many years ago, and it's a wonderful place. As far as the convention itself, I would rate it as mixed. From an educational standpoint, I find that the quality of the sessions can vary widely. Even after attending ten of these AAA conventions, there is a certain hit-or-miss aspect to it, and there's nothing worse than spending 90 minutes in a seminar, only to wish you had those 90 minutes back again.

The other educational aspect of the convention is the exhibit floor, where virtually every hearing aid manufacturer and audiology-related company has a booth. These range from the massive displays of the "Big 6" hearing aid companies (it sometimes seems like they have an acre of floor space each), to the tiny one-person booths of the smaller outfits. It certainly can be overwhelming. I always find it extremely useful to spend time talking to the companies to see what technology is available, or what's on the horizon.

This year I didn't see a lot that was so new in hearing aids, which was a bit disappointing. Several companies (Widex, Oticon, Unitron) are introducing their versions of the relatively new "IIC" ("invisible in canal") style hearing aids, first put out by Starkey with their SoundLens (originally called Otolens). These deep-fitting CICs have been fairly appealing to patients in my practice, as the ever-present concern about the visibility of hearing aids continues (unfortunately, in my opinion). In my experience these devices can work well for patients whose ear canals can accommodate them, and who have the manual dexterity to properly insert them and change the batteries. As with traditional CICs, these aids do not offer directional microphones, and this can be a real limitation for patients' ability to hear in noise.

The other development that was great to hear about was the coming availability of a smaller Lyric device. The Lyric is the extended-wear hearing aid that a patient keeps in the ear all the time. I have been fitting these since 2009 with mostly positive results. However, there is a fairly sizable percentage of people whose ear canals are simply too small for the Lyric. With the new Lyric design, a significantly higher percentage of patients should be able to use the device. The new Lyric should be available in our office in late June or early July.

Stay in the "Loop"

A recent article in the New York Times on "hearing loops" is sparking significant interest among my patients (and others). Hearing loops are systems that are installed in certain public venues that allow for hearing aid users to pick up a direct, clear transmission of sound. They may be installed in places such as theaters, houses of worship, museums, and train stations. New York City has been slow to adopt this technology, but there are now plans to install hearing loops in a number of subway stations. Loops can also be installed in the home and connected to a television or other audio source. However, there is a catch: in order to pick up the loop transmission, the user's hearing aids must have what is called a "telecoil" (or "t-coil" for short), and not all devices offer this feature. In particular, the small behind-the-ear devices with a thin wire that have become so popular in the past several years often do not have a telecoil, primarily due to space limitations. Likewise, the very small custom-fit aids as well as the Lyric extended-wear aids do not offer telecoils. Hopefully the loop technology will become more prevalent here in NYC. And hopefully the hearing aid manufacturers will follow suit and offer telecoils in more of the mini-BTE hearing aids. Here's a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/science/24loops.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=hearing%20loop&st=cse

Give Yourself a Listening Workout

As wonderful as hearing aids can be, many of the communication problems that people encounter when they have hearing loss go beyond what's happening with the ears. Even with an improved input coming from your hearing aids, the brain has a lot of important work to do when it comes to what we call "hearing," especially in more difficult listening environments such as noisy restaurants. In fact, despite significant improvements in technology in the past several years, the ability to hear in situations with background noise continues to be one of the biggest challenges for hearing aid users. Fortunately, there are some new avenues of help. The LACE program (Listening And Communication Enhancement) is a computerized listening training program designed to be completed at home. It consists of twenty 30-minute sessions that train the brain to improve at listening in background noise, listening to rapid speech, listening when there is one competing talker, auditory memory, and filling in missing words. The program automatically adjusts to your level of difficulty as you proceed, and ongoing results are uploaded to a central website that is accessible by the audiologist. A number of studies have demonstrated that patients who complete LACE training derive additional benefit from their hearing aids.

For more information on LACE, visit their website at www.neurotone.com, or call the office and speak to Dr. Resnick (212-752-3373).

Diabetes and Hearing Loss

Today (March 22nd) is the 23rd annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day. This is a good time to remember that diabetes has been linked to hearing loss due to the effects of the disease on the blood supply and nerve function of the inner ear. An NIH study published in 2008 indicated that diabetics are twice as likely as non-diabetics to develop hearing loss. Here is a link to an excellent article with more information: http://www.diabetesvoice.org/files/attachments/2009_1_Bainbridge.pdf

Why I Do What I Do

Yesterday I saw a patient whom I had fit with new hearing aids several weeks ago. She's a physician with moderate-to-severe high frequency hearing loss, and has been using hearing aids for many years. She had been struggling with her last set of hearing aids (which she had not obtained from me), and was pessimistic about the possibility of improving her hearing much further. Upon entering my office she told me, "You've changed my life." Not a bad way to start off the work day!

The Economic Consequences of Hearing Loss

Did you know that untreated hearing loss is associated with lower income? A recent study indicated that people with untreated hearing loss may lose as much as $30,000 anually, depending on the degree of hearing impairment. Use of hearing aids was shown to reduce the risk of lost income by 90 to 100 percent for those with mild hearing loss, and by 65 to 77 percent for those with moderate to severe hearing loss. People with untreated hearing loss were also found to have higher unemployment rates -- nearly double that of the general population for those with severe hearing loss, and double that of their peers who use hearing aids. Just one more reason to see an audiologist!

The "Hear" in "Heart"

February is American Heart Month. Did you know that heart disease can be a risk factor for hearing loss? The cochlea (inner ear) needs a good blood supply to function optimally, and poor circulation can lead to poor hearing. So don't think of your ears as just two things stuck to the side of your head -- by maximizing your overall health your hearing stands a much better chance of staying intact over your life span.

New Hearing App Available

There's an interesting new app for the iPhone called EarTrumpet. It has two functions: it can run a basic hearing test using your earbuds, and it can be used as an amplifier. While I have yet to download it, I would caution against relying on the hearing test function as an objective measure; it's likely to be affected by how quiet the room is and how well your earbuds fit. The amplifier function, called a "hearing enhancer," could certainly prove useful for getting some basic amplification of conversation and television. The app costs $1.99. If you've given it a try, leave a comment with your experiences.

Turn Down Those Commercials!

We've probably all had the jarring experience of watching television and hearing the volume suddenly jump up when the commercials come on. This can be annoying for those with and without hearing aids. Well, good news was recently announced: Congress has passed the CALM Act (that's Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation -- gotta love those acronyms). This new law creates a standard for the voulme level of commercials, and will eliminate the practice of broadcasting advertisements at excessively high levels. Broadcasters will have one year from the adoption of the law to comply, so hang in there.

Hear for the Holidays

We're approaching that time of year again. Food, family, get-togethers, gifts ...  and this often means stress as well as fun. If you're having difficulty with your hearing, the stress level can be significantly higher at holiday time. If you've been putting off a decision about pursuing help for your hearing, what better time to do it! Treat yourself to a better quality of life by making sure that you're hearing as well as you can.