Binaural: “Having or relating to two ears”
Monoaural: “Of, relating to, or designating sound reception by one ear”Monaural: found that young people with subtle hearing loss are altering their brain function in ways typically only seen in older adults. As a result, they could be paving the way for dementia.
If you have a binaural hearing loss then you have a problem in both of your ears – if you have Monaural then it’s only one.
If you do have a binaural hearing loss then it is very important that you wear hearing aids in both ears. We use both of our ears to hear and if you wear only one hearing aid you will have big problems trying to locate the source of sounds and everything will sound very uneven. You won’t hear half as well with one aid, you’ll hear less.
But what if you only have hearing loss in one ear?
Yes, hearing aids can help, a lot.
Why? Because we are meant to hear with two ears. Binaural hearing (hearing with both ears) is essential for hearing in noise, maintaining our natural perception of loudness, and it is how we effectively localize or maintain spatial awareness and feel immersed in our surroundings. So even if you feel you can “get by” with one ear, there are challenges you will face that can be helped with hearing aids.
Technology designed for single-sided hearing
There are a few different solutions used for monaural hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear) depending on the specifics of the case. The key factors in determining the appropriate solution are the hearing levels and speech understanding of your ear with the loss, which a hearing healthcare professional can measure and assess.
Sometimes the poorer ear can be helped with one hearing aid. Other times, the ear is unaidable, meaning it cannot be helped with a conventional hearing aid that makes sounds louder. In these cases, a CROS system may be appropriate. A CROS system takes sound from the poorer side and transmits it to a better ear so that sounds can be perceived from the poorer side — to give you the benefits of binaural hearing.
.Contact us today and make an appointment to have your hearing tested.
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