You’ve turned your hearing aids up all the way but still struggle to hear conversations, especially when there’s background noise. You also notice you’re missing everyday sounds like the phone ringing when your daughter calls or a car honking at you when you try to merge lanes.
It can be a frustrating experience, especially when you’re wearing devices. If that’s the case, it may be time to consider advanced hearing loss treatment options.
This article can help you understand when there’s a problem and what to do to resolve it.
Signs It’s Time for Advanced Hearing Loss Treatment
The hearing structures in your inner ear continue to degrade over time. If you already have severe or profound hearing loss, further degradation could exceed what hearing aids can treat.
Severe hearing loss is classified by difficulty hearing speech at normal conversational volume. You may only be able to perceive blaring sounds, like a fire alarm. Profound hearing loss means you can typically only perceive extremely loud sounds, like a jet engine. All other sounds are mostly felt as vibrations.
If your hearing loss has progressed to either of those degrees, you may notice:
- Your hearing aids are maxed out, but speech still isn’t clear.
- You can’t distinguish similar-sounding words or letters.
- You constantly ask people to repeat themselves or just nod along.
- You rely heavily on lip-reading and facial expressions.
- Group conversations are extremely difficult to follow.
- Your hearing aids whistle or produce feedback because of high amplification.
Treatment Options for Severe and Profound Hearing Loss
Cochlear Implants
Once your inner ear has sustained significant damage, it may no longer be able to perceive sound vibrations at all, preventing your auditory nerve from sending signals to your brain. Cochlear implants offer an alternative to hearing aids when your hearing loss has progressed significantly.
These electronic devices are surgically implanted behind your ear. The external sound processor picks up audio and changes it into digital signals that are sent to an internal receiver to stimulate your auditory nerve. The device bypasses the damaged cochlea, so your brain receives a more usable auditory signal.
You may benefit from cochlear implants if you have moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss and haven’t experienced improvement with hearing aids alone.
These devices have the following features:
- Waterproof designs
- Bluetooth streaming
- Off-ear processors
- App-based setting adjustments
Bone-Anchored Hearing Systems
Bone-anchored hearing systems (BAHS) are another option for hearing loss that exceeds what hearing aids can treat. This device is surgically implanted into your mastoid bone behind your ear and uses magnets to attach an external processor to send vibrations through your skin.
Where hearing aids channel sound waves through your ear canal, BAHS use bone conduction to transfer vibrations through your skull bone to your cochlea. They’re typically prescribed if you have severe conductive hearing loss, which is characterized by a blockage or issue with your middle ear.
CROS and BiCROS Options
While you may retain normal hearing abilities in one ear, if the other suffers from severe to profound auditory loss, that requires a unique solution. Contralateral Routing of Signal (CROS) and bilateral CROS (BiCROS) devices are worn on your ear with hearing loss to send audio signals to the better-hearing counterpart. That reduces communication breakdowns and makes sounds from your affected side easier to hear. CROS devices are ideal if one of your ears has normal or near-normal hearing; BiCROS alternatives are necessary if your strong ear has some hearing loss. They’re also beneficial if you have a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
The Evaluation Process
Ongoing hearing tests are crucial for monitoring progressive hearing loss. That’s why it’s important to maintain annual appointments or contact your audiologist as soon as you notice something is off. Retesting your hearing while wearing your hearing aids allows your doctor to identify deviations. You’ll also likely undergo a word recognition test to determine if your hearing aids aren’t serving you anymore.
If your audiologist believes you’d benefit from advanced hearing loss treatment, you’ll undergo the following steps:
- A referral for an implanted device or to an ENT specialist
- A formal evaluation for candidacy
- A medical evaluation from an ENT or otologic surgeon
- Device selection counseling
- Surgery consultation for implantation
The Next Step Toward Better Hearing
Whether you’re a current or new patient, Hearing Associates can help you determine the next step on your hearing health journey. If you’re concerned that your hearing devices aren’t serving your needs, contact one of our locations to schedule an evaluation. Our expert audiologists will conduct a thorough assessment and work closely with you to determine the right solution so you can get back to hearing comfortably. Schedule your appointment online.