Hearing Loss
Expert hearing care for patients of all ages and lifestyles.
Audiology at Benjamin Liess, MD
At Benjamin Liess, MD, our goal is to improve your quality of life through better hearing. We genuinely love helping people and are passionate about your well-being and overall health. Our specialists are experienced in all areas of audiology and can help you with any part of your hearing health.
Hearing loss is a serious condition that can lead to other health related issues such as depression, dementia, cognitive decline, and balance issues (vertigo). It’s better to have your hearing checked sooner rather than later so your hearing loss doesn’t get any worse. Whether you are looking for a BPPV doctor or a hearing aid specialist, our experienced team can help you.
What is Hearing Loss?
Approximately 48 million Americans experience hearing loss to some degree. If sounds seem muffled, you have a difficult time hearing soft sounds, or you lack clarity, then you may have hearing loss and should have your hearing examined. Hearing loss is diagnosed in a few degrees: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe or profound.
Signs of Hearing Loss
It can be difficult to notice your hearing loss at first. Most of the time hearing loss happens gradually over a long period of time. Some signs that you have hearing loss include:
- You feel tired after being in a group of people
- You have to strain to hear in noisy restaurants, groups activities, or any place where there are multiple people
- When you go to the movie theater you can’t hear what is happening
- You can no longer enjoy music
- You are turning the TV volume up louder
- It’s difficult to hear high pitched voices such as women and children
Balance Disorders
Balance disorders, dizziness, and vertigo can all be connected to your hearing. Dizziness occurs when your brain receives false signals from the balance system – comprised of the inner ear, eyes, and sensory nerves.
There are several balance disorders associated with dizziness or vertigo:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) involves brief, intense periods of vertigo that are triggered by specific changes in head position. This occurs when tiny crystals in the otolith organs become dislodged and migrate to the semicircular canals.
- Meniere’s Disease is a chronic condition that causes vertigo, tinnitus, fullness in the ear, and fluctuating hearing loss.
- Labyrinthitis is an inflammation of the inner ear, typically caused by an infection.
Audiology Services
Hearing Tests
A hearing test is the first step in determining if a hearing loss is present as well as what type and degree it is. We offer diagnostic hearing tests in Scarborough for adults and children. Our experienced team includes board certified hearing instrument specialists who can test your hearing and examine your ears for any problems.
We offer the following hearing tests:
• Pure Tone Audiometry
• Speech Audiometry
• Tympanometry
• Auditory Function Tests
• Bone Conduction Test
• Otoacoustic Emissions
Custom Hearing Protection
At our ENT and hearing center, we offer custom earmolds, earplugs, and in-ear monitors for optimal hearing protection. Loud noise exposure is one of the most common causes of hearing loss in people of all ages. It’s important to wear hearing protection whenever you are exposed to loud sounds. At our hearing clinic, we can create custom fit earmolds and earplugs to keep your hearing safe and healthy.
Tinnitus Management
Ringing in the ears, medically known as tinnitus, affects roughly 50 million Americans. Tinnitus is described as hearing phantom sounds in the ears or head when no external sounds are present. The symptoms of tinnitus include hearing a buzzing, humming, ringing, or whistling sound. During a full audiological evaluation, we will perform a tinnitus test to diagnose the cause and degree of tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be caused by a range of conditions, such as:
• Hearing loss and other ear disorders
• Ear infections
• Meniere’s disease
• Vascular problems in the face or neck
• Certain medications
• Stress
• Head or neck injury
• Loud noise exposure
At Benjamin Liess, MD, we offer a few tinnitus treatments that can help alleviate ringing in the ears. One of the best options for tinnitus relief are hearing aids. While hearing aids won’t completely stop ringing in the ears, they can provide you with some relief.
