Hearing Improvement
If you think you have hearing loss, you should be evaluated by both a doctor and an audiologist.
Hearing aids help most people who have trouble hearing. Assistive listening devices (ALD) may help those who have a fairly severe hearing loss. For people with hearing loss that is so severe that hearing aids or ALDs are not helpful, a cochlear implant may improve their ability to hear. If you come to our clinic for help with hearing loss, you will receive counseling and learn strategies that will help maximize your ability to hear.
Assistive Listening Devices
People with a significant hearing loss may benefit from using assistive listening devices (ALD). ALDs amplify sounds for specific needs of a hearing-impaired person in various situations, such as telephoning, understanding TV, and in classrooms.
Since interference from environmental noise is minimized by placing a microphone at the sound’s source, ALDs are ideal for communicating in noisy places. Target sounds are delivered to the ears with good quality and clarity.
Cochlear Implants
A cochlear implant provides hearing to adults and children who have profound hearing loss in both ears and who have little or no ability to understand speech, even with powerful hearing aids.
The cochlear implant works by stimulating nerves in the inner ear. Virtually all patients who receive cochlear implants are able to hear sounds at a much lower volume than before surgery.
If you want to explore receiving a cochlear implant, call the WVU Physician Office Center to schedule a consultation. During your consultation, you will learn about how the cochlear implant works and what the surgery entails.
WVU Health Report: Cochlear Implants
WVU Health Report: Benefits of Cochlear Implants
Hearing Aids
A hearing aid is a miniature amplifier that helps someone to hear better. If you come to us for an evaluation, our audiologists will measure your understanding of speech and your hearing at different pitches.
The style of hearing aid that you might need depends upon the pattern and severity of your hearing loss. The basic styles of hearing aids include:
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in-the-ear aids
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completely-in-the-canal aids
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behind-the-ear aids
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eyeglass aids
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body aids
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a process where we help you retrain your brain to ignore the sound of your tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and to achieve a level in which you are not aware of and/or annoyed by it. This approach is not a quick fix or a cure, and it does not involve drugs or surgery. Also, it does not work for everyone, but it has resulted in significant improvement for most people who are looking for help.
You should plan to spend approximately two hours with us during your initial appointment. Our clinic procedure is a team effort, so you will be seen by more than one healthcare professional during this visit.