About Your Hearing
Hearing aids work very well when fit and adjusted appropriately. They amplify sound! You might find that you like one hearing aid better than the other. The left and right hearing aids will probably not fit exactly the same and they probably won't sound exactly the same. Nonetheless, hearing aids should be comfortable with respect to the physical fit and sound quality. Hearing aids are do not restore normal hearing. Until you get used to it, your voice will sound "funny" when you wear hearing aids. Hearing aids should not to be worn in extremely noisy environments. Some hearing aids have features that make noisy environments considerably more tolerable, however.
How Do I Know If I Have A Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss occurs to most people as they age. Hearing loss can be due to the aging process, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, infections, head or ear trauma, congenital (birth or prenatal) or hereditary factors, diseases, as well as a number of other causes. In 2001, there were some 28 million people in the USA with hearing loss. Hearing loss is the single most common birth "defect" in America. Hearing loss in adults, particularly in seniors, is common.
You may have hearing loss if...
- You hear people speaking but you have to strain to understand their words
- You frequently ask people to repeat what they said
- You don't laugh at jokes because you miss too much of the story or the punch line
- You frequently complain that people mumble
- You need to ask others about the details of a meeting you just attended
- You play the TV or radio louder than your friends, spouse and relatives
- You cannot hear the doorbell or the telephone
- You find that looking at people when they speak to you makes it easier to understand