AAO-HNSF Primary Care Otolaryngology Handbook

HEARING LOSS

diagnoses of serious conditions such as chronic otitis media with choles- teatoma or vestibular schwannoma are not missed, patients with hearing loss should be referred to an otolaryngologist for evaluation and manage- ment of their care. For this reason, many states require an evaluation by a physician before a hearing aid can be fitted. Hearing aids are effective in rehabilitation of hearing loss in most patients. Hearing aids vary widely in their technology, features, style, and cost. Optimal hearing aid fitting requires the services of an audiologist, a professional highly knowledgeable in the nuances of amplification technology. For patients with severe to profound SNHL, who no longer benefit from hearing aids, a cochlear implant can provide direct stimulation of the cochlear nerve and restore hearing. Currently, patients with bilateral moderate to profound hearing loss are candidates for a cochlear implant. Young children can be implant candidates as well, starting at age 1. Cochlear implants have allowed deaf babies to develop near-normal language skills. All newborns should undergo hearing screening, so that hearing-impaired individuals can be identified, and appropriate inter- ventions offered as soon as possible.

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