A frequent question patients ask me is, “Why must I wear two hearing aids?” Here’s the reasoning.Your brain is designed to work with two ears. You are able to locate sounds by making instant decisions based on the time differential between the sounds that reach each ear. When sounds arrive at the ears simultaneously, you perceive that they are in front of you. If they reach the left ear before the right ear, you identify them as being to your left. Thus, an individual who hears out of one ear only has no directional hearing ability and cannot localize sound.
Your directional hearing ability allows you to “home in” on sounds and determine how far away those sounds are. By pinpointing the position of the sound, the auditory center of the brain can use its ability to suppress noise to further improve your understanding ability. If you hear only through one ear, the differences in speech and background noise are not processed, and you are unable to understand conversation.
In order to take full advantage of the sophisticated directional microphones and noise suppression circuitry available in today’s digital instruments, you must wear two hearing aids.
Other problems when wearing only one hearing aid include:
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Inability to hear people on the non-aided side in quiet listening situations
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Hearing music and television monaurally, rather than in stereo
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Potentially being less steady on your feet due to unequal stimulation of the balance system of the inner ear
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If you have a hearing loss in both ears and only wear one instrument, why not experience the difference two hearing aids will make for you? You’ll wonder why you ever lived with just one. So, call us for an appointment.
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7083 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 302
Hollywood, CA 90028 Phone (323) 463-7109 Fax (323) 463-7707 E-mail: info@lahearing.com |
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