Years of research have been able to reveal many of the secrets of natural hearing and identify the causes of hearing loss. Today, this knowledge is the basis of technological developments of modern hearing aids in order to aid hearing.
How the human ear works
The outer ear
The outer ear is the visible part that gathers sounds and directs them into the ear canal.
Middle ear
The vibration of the tympanic membrane transmits the sound to the inner ear through the 3 bones (hammer, anvil and ladder) that transmit the sound to the inner ear.
The inner ear
The inner ear is made up of 2 components: the cochlea, a complex system of hair cells and the vestibular system that sends sound to the brain for processing.
Hearing loss and its effects
If you or a loved one is experiencing hearing loss, you should know that you are not alone.
Hearing loss affects people of all ages. All over the world about 1.1 billion people are affected by at least one mild hearing loss, which, unfortunately, they cannot recognize symptomatically. This can lead to worsening of hearing loss, causing more than 124 million people to be affected by moderate to severe hearing loss on a bilateral basis. A person with untreated hearing loss risks damaging their hearing health.
Hearing health is very important and to maintain or treat it is recommended to consult an audiologist.
Untreated hearing loss attracts many negative effects, starting from increased hearing difficulties over time, negative social and personal behavior due to difficulties in communicating with others and due to low self-esteem. A hearing-impaired person is exposed to certain safety risks and may face a lower chance of employment. As we see hearing loss affects many aspects of life, but more than that, this silent condition also has an impact on close people, family or friends.
Hearing loss, especially neurosensory, can be treated with hearing aids. The hearing aid can help you hear more clearly, decreasing the constant need to repeat the conversation, diminished understanding or slow reaction speed which, combined, can have a negative impact on self-esteem.
