Sometimes, as a result of an accident, or sometimes all of a sudden, patients may be left with hearing in only one ear. This can be particularly frustrating, as patients will only be able to hear things that are on a specific side of them – that, or sounds will be significantly quieter as they are further away from their “good” ear. So, what can these patients do to treat their hearing loss?
There are, in fact, hearing aids available for patients might have hearing loss in one ear that is considered “unaidable”. These hearing aids are called a CROS. The way that the CROS system works, is that the patient wears 2 hearing aids – 1 acts as the transmitter, and the other is the receiver. Basically, both hearing aids have microphones and collect sound input, but the hearing aid on the “bad” ear sends the sound input over to the other hearing aid, which is in the “good” ear. This allows these patients to hear sound from all around them! However, the disadvantage to CROS hearing aids is that it can still be difficult to determine where sounds are coming from.
These CROS hearing aids are not suitable for all patients. The Doctors of Audiology at Gardner Audiology, which has 8 locations throughout the Tampa Bay, FL area, are experienced and trained to recognize when a patient may benefit from a CROS system rather than traditional hearing aids. If you have hearing in only one ear and are interested in new or updated hearing aids to help you, please contact Gardner Audiology at 1-800-277-182 or visit gardneraudiology.com or www.gardnerhearingdoctors.com to schedule an appointment.
