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Getting
Fitted for a Hearing Aid
It is
often said that a successful hearing aid fitting is as much an art as it is a
science. At the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary's Hearing Aid Dispensary, our
audiologists have been successfully fitting and dispensing the finest quality
electronic hearing systems since 1988.
Our highly
trained professional staff has assisted thousands of people with diagnosed
hearing impairment compensate for the natural patterns of hearing loss. Detecting
Hearing Impairments If
you suspect you or a family member or friend has a hearing impairment, a
physician must first be consulted to rule out any medically correctable cause.
The family physician may refer you to an otolaryngologist ( a physician who
specializes in diseases of the ear, nose and throat). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that a licensed physician examine
and provide medical clearance for hearing aid use within three years of the
purchase of a hearing aid (unless the person signs a waiver). Hearing assessment
will be performed by a licensed Audiologist / Hearing Aid Dispenser. Custom
Fitting for Individual Hearing Needs Even the best hearing aids cannot bring damaged hearing completely back to
normal. Considering the many types and severities of hearing loss and the
variety of available hearing instruments, selecting the hearing aid system that
will best serve an individual's hearing loss and particular lifestyle and
personality is a formidable task. The new and experienced hearing aid user must be committed to the rehabilitation
process; they must put forth every effort to become accustomed to amplification
and they must communicate their goals, their needs, and their expectations to
the audiologist from the start. The potential hearing aid user must furnish the
audiologist with all requested information needed to determine the most
appropriate hearing system. The audiologist will assist the hearing user to
learn to use their hearing instrument to its fullest capacity. It is the policy of the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary's Hearing Aid
Dispensary to offer each person a 45 day trial period with their new hearing
instrument. This policy allows the audiologist to make all necessary changes or
adjustments in the newly purchased amplification system as the purchaser uses
the hearing aid in various listening situations. If a person simply cannot adjust to amplification within the 45 day trial
period, the hearing aid may be returned for a refund (minus a pre-determined
service fee).
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How
Hearing Aids Work
- Microphone - picks up the sound and sends it to the amplifier
- Receiver - inside the hearing aid, sends the amplified sound into the ear canal
- Amplifier - inside the aid, selectively makes the sound louder
- Volume Control - usually outside the aid, adjusts the loudness
- Battery - supplies the power
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Technological
Advances: Digitally Programmed Hearing Aids
The New York
Eye & Ear Infirmary's Hearing Aid Dispensary can provide its clients the
most sophisticated hearing aid systems available today. The same technology that
is being used to program the microchips of computers is being utilized in
digitally programmable hearing aids.
Digital
Hearing Aids quickly convert sounds into a series of numbers. The computer chip
inside of the hearing aid quickly processes and arranges that series of numbers
many millions of times per second to make soft sounds audible and loud sounds
comfortable, while simultaneously reducing background noise.
The
audiologist programs this type of hearing aid to amplify different frequencies to
different degrees, to fit the user's pattern of hearing loss. In addition, these
hearing systems have different programmable memories that make it possible to
choose different settings depending on the listening environment (e.g.
restaurants, meetings, church , etc.).
This new
technology, offered by the Hearing Aid Dispensary, is most helpful to people who
have tried conventional hearing aids, those who live or work in a noisy
environment, and those who are particularly sensitivity to loud or low frequency
sounds.
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Types
of Hearing Aids
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