Two aids are better than one in most cases of hearing loss
By DR. KOMOROFF Universal Uclick on Sep 4, 2013, at 2:21 AM Updated on 9/04/13 at 3:51 AM
Dr. K
Dear Doctor K: I have hypertension. Should I be monitoring my blood pressure at home?
Dear Doctor K: After my last mammogram, the doctor told me I have dense breasts. Does this increase my risk of cancer?
Dear Doctor K: I am losing my hearing, and my doctor wants me to get two hearing aids. Is this really necessary?
Dear Reader: If you have hearing loss in only one ear and normal, or nearly normal, hearing in the other, then one hearing aid is all you need. But most people have hearing loss in both ears, especially age-related hearing loss. In that case, research and experience suggest that you'll be more satisfied with two hearing aids.
When you have two hearing aids, you can take better advantage of the way the brain processes sound through what's known as "binaural" hearing.
When a sound enters both ears, each ear sends its version of that sound to the brain. The brain interprets the sound by processing the signals from both ears, and it does a better job of processing the sound when it's getting signals from both. For example, the brain can pick out important signals, like voices, and interpret what those voices are saying even when there's background noise.
If you're wearing just one hearing aid, even though you have hearing loss in both ears, your brain may have a harder time distinguishing voices from other sounds in a noisy place. It may also be harder for the brain to identify the location of particular sounds. The brain normally does this by comparing the relative loudness and frequencies of the sound signals that are coming into both your ears, as well as how long it takes them to travel through the ears. But the brain can't locate a sound as well if sound signals are always louder through one ear.
Another advantage is that you can set each of them at a lower volume than if you wear just one. And lower volume means less feedback and distortion of the sounds around you.
Ask your doctor if you can use two on a trial basis. Under this arrangement, you would be fitted with two hearing aids, and then, over a period of several weeks, you would decide whether you hear better with one or two.
Write Dr. K at
www.AskDoctorK.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut, Kansas City, MO 64106
Dr. K
Dear Doctor K: I have hypertension. Should I be monitoring my blood pressure at home?
Dear Doctor K: After my last mammogram, the doctor told me I have dense breasts. Does this increase my risk of cancer?
