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Hearing Aid FAQ

What are the different kinds of hearing loss?
There are three types of hearing loss: Conductive, Sensorineural, and Mixed Hearing Loss.
  1. Conductive Hearing Loss: Conductive hearing loss results from a problem with the conduction of sound from the outer ear (part that you see) to the inner ear (where the nerve is located). This can result from wax buildup, ear infections, trauma to the ear, or any other problem with the eardrum or bones that conduct sound through the middle ear. Those with this type of loss have a problem with volume rather than understanding ability.
  2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Sensorineural hearing loss involves some sort of deterioration of the inner ear or the hearing nerve. The aging process, noise-exposure, some cancer treatments, illness, and other degenerative processes could cause this loss. This type of hearing loss sometimes impairs understanding ability and causes those with the loss to be sensitive to loud sounds.
  3. Mixed Hearing Loss: Mixed hearing losses contain some conductive elements and some sensorineural elements.
Where should I go to have my hearing tested?
You have many options! Audiologists are university-trained hearing care professionals who hold masters and doctoral degrees in Audiology. Hearing Instrument Specialists (HIS) are hearing professionals that are specifically trained in hearing aids and their function. Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) physicians specialize in hearing losses that are medically treatable. Most hospitals and many universities have an audiology clinic that provides testing.
Does earwax cause hearing loss?
Earwax, also called “cerumen”, is an oily, fatty substance that your body creates to protect your ear canal. Each individual creates different amounts of wax. Many people are concerned that they produce too much earwax, but there is generally no cause for concern. It is possible for earwax to build up and partially or completely obstruct the ear canal. This can potentially result in a mild to moderate Conductive Hearing Loss Once the wax is removed, the hearing is restored. Your Sonus hearing care professional can examine your ear to let you know if you have a wax buildup and how it can be removed.
Can I afford a hearing Aid?
Much like eyeglasses, hearing aids come in a variety of models and styles, and the prices vary depending upon not only the hearing aid model and style that you select but also upon the degree of your hearing loss and the special options that you may chose to personalize your instrument.

Once you have decided on the instrument that is best for you and your budget, your Sonus hearing care professional can assist you with a number of payment plans. Several hearing aid payment plans including some without interest are available.

Additionally, Sonus clinics accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express.
What type of warranty comes with a hearing instrument?
The warranty available on a hearing aid can vary depending upon the instrument’s manufacturer. Most hearing instruments come with a 1-year warranty that covers any repairs that might be necessary. Sometimes the manufacturer’s 1-year warranty also covers loss & damage with a deductible.

Sonus offers a very unique, full coverage warranty when you purchase a Sonus SolutionTM hearing instrument. The Sonus SolutionTM Guarantee gives you:
  • 75-day no risk evaluation period of the hearing aid
  • 1 year satisfaction guarantee
  • 3 year comprehensive warranty & service
  • 3 year supply of hearing aid batteries
  • and more!
Ask your Sonus hearing professional for more information about the Sonus Solution TM Guarantee.

Sonus also offers a unique insurance option called the Sonus Assurance Plan, which provides many excellent options including free office visits and hearing aid service as well as the ability to customize your coverage to fit your lifestyle.
How often should I go in for an office visit?
Hearing professionals recommend that you have your hearing evaluated once a year. You should always report a change in hearing to your hearing healthcare professional and your doctor.

Your hearing aids should be cleaned and checked 3-4 times a year. Annual hearing evaluations and hearing instruments re-check and cleaning services are usually provided at a very minimal price—they are completely covered by either your Sonus SolutionTM Guarantee or your Sonus Assurance Plan.
What if I am not pleased with my hearing aid fitting? How long do I have to decide?
With a Sonus SolutionTM hearing aid package, you have a 75-day adjustment period that begins the day you are fit with the hearing instrument. It is not uncommon for you to need to return to your hearing care professional a few times for adjustments to your hearing instruments. During the adjustment period, if you decide that you do not want the hearing instruments, you can return them for a refund.
Does Medicare or insurance pay for hearing aids?
Medicare does not cover hearing aids. Some insurance plans will assist with the cost of hearing aids. Most insurance companies will not cover advanced technology hearing aids like digital instruments. Contact your insurance company to see if they provide you with hearing aid benefits.
How long is the entire process from evaluation to hearing aid delivery?
A hearing evaluation takes about 45 minutes. If it is determined that you need hearing instruments, it may take a bit more time so that you and your hearing professional can decide which instruments are best for you.

Once your hearing instruments have been ordered—the order is usually placed at the end of your first appointment—you can expect to receive your new hearing instruments in approximately 2-3 weeks. Rush orders are an option with an additional charge, which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Most rush orders take 4-5 days.
What are the statistics of hearing loss?
An estimated 28 million people suffer from hearing loss, and that number grows considerably every year! There is not an exact statistic since many people either do not realize or refuse to admit that they are not hearing as well as they were once able to.
What are some symptoms of hearing loss?
  • You often miss certain words or find yourself confusing words or misunderstanding conversations.
  • You frequently ask the speaker to repeat what was said.
  • Your family members or friends have expressed concern about your hearing.
  • You avoid certain social situations (for example the theater, restaurants, parties) because it is difficult to hear.
  • You have a history of work-related exposure.
  • You have difficulty understanding telephone conversations.
  • You turn up the radio or television to volume levels that are too loud for others.
  • You have difficulty following conversations in groups or in the presence of background noise.
  • You have difficulty hearing outdoor sounds such as birds or the wind.
What symptoms indicate the need for a medical evaluation?
  • Pain or ache in the ear
  • Bleeding/draining from your ears
  • Head trauma
  • Sudden hearing loss
  • Problems with your balance or dizziness
  • Fluctuating hearing loss
  • Ringing in ears
  • Feeling of fullness or pressure in ears
What is the ringing sound in my head/ears?
The ringing sensation that you hear in your head or individual ears is called tinnitus. This ringing is usually an indication of some damage to your auditory system (especially noise damage). It can be constant or periodic and on one specific side or in the middle of your head. There is no magic cure for tinnitus, but there are methods that can help you live with it. Sometimes hearing aids help by bringing more sound to the brain, thus distracting attention from the ringing. If you have ringing consistently on one side, you should ask your doctor about it.
What are some causes of hearing loss?
  • Noise exposure (military, hunting, music, industrial, racing, power saws, lawn mowers)
  • Heredity
  • Certain chemotherapy and radiation treatments
  • Certain heavy-duty antibiotics
  • Head trauma
  • Certain medical conditions
  • Wax
  • Ear infections
  • Viral infections
What are the classifications of hearing loss?
Your ability to hear is as unique as your fingerprints. No two people have exactly the same hearing.

Hearing loss is classified by several factors: Degree of Loss, Understanding Ability, Location of Loss Along the Speech Frequencies, and Type of Loss.

Degree of Loss: Degree refers to the amount/severity of the hearing loss. Hearing loss is ranked mild (slight difficulty hearing in daily environment), moderate (difficult to hear most sounds in your daily environment), severe (extremely difficult to hear all sounds in daily life) or profound (deaf).

Understanding Ability: Hearing and understanding are different. You may be able to hear sounds but not understand what is being said. Sometimes understanding ability is impaired as a result of a hearing loss. This is usually measured by a percentage of your understanding random words.

Location of Loss Along Speech Frequencies: Usually hearing loss does not affect all speech frequencies the same. For example, loud sounds damage hearing ability in the high frequencies. This creates a problem with hearing sounds that are high in pitch (i.e.. female or children's voices, birds, consonant sounds like "s" and "t"). Some other hearing losses, from head trauma or ear infections, can affect the low pitches (i.e.. male voices, loudness, vowel sounds).

Type of Loss: There are three types of hearing loss:
  1. Conductive Hearing Loss: Conductive hearing loss results from a problem with the conduction of sound from the outer ear (part that you see) to the inner ear (where the nerve is located). This can result from wax buildup, ear infections, trauma to the ear, or any other problem with the eardrum or bones that conduct sound through the middle ear. Those with this type of loss have a problem with volume rather than understanding ability.
  2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Sensorineural hearing loss involves some sort of deterioration of the inner ear or the hearing nerve. The aging process, noise-exposure, some cancer treatments, illness, and other degenerative processes could cause this loss. This type of hearing loss sometimes impairs understanding ability and causes those with the loss to be sensitive to loud sounds.
  3. Mixed Hearing Loss: Mixed hearing losses contain some conductive elements and some sensorineural elements.
Is a hearing test painful?
No. A hearing test is painless and easy. This simple test, which should be done annually as part of a medical physical, is important to help detect a loss as soon as it develops. This way, your hearing health care professional can suggest an appropriate intervention program, which may minimize further hearing loss.
Is there anything I can do to restore my hearing?
Usually hearing loss is permanent. Consult with your doctor to see if your symptoms are medical in nature and need any treatment, especially if you have a sudden hearing loss. Even hearing aids will not restore normal hearing. Hearing instruments will make previously missed sounds available at the level of stimulation your auditory system needs at that particular pitch.
Why do I only have difficulty hearing in crowds?
If you have difficulty hearing in crowds, you could have a high-frequency hearing loss. With this type of loss, you can hear well in one-on-one situations and even in small groups. However when you are around distracting speech/noise, you can hear the noise louder than the speech. This is because your normal low-frequency hearing picks up the low-pitched noise at a normal-hearing level. At the same time, you miss some of the high-frequency speech sounds, where your hearing loss is located, that bring clarity. This hearing loss is not as noticeable when speaking with someone without any competing noise.
Why do I have difficulty hearing female voices when I can hear male voices easily?
You may have a high-frequency hearing loss. Female voices, children's voices, and even a majority of speech understanding lies in the high frequencies. If you have a high-frequency hearing loss you probably have a hard time hearing things, such as your wife's voice. You may hear the low frequency sounds normally but miss the high frequency sounds.
What if I have difficulty understanding but not a problem hearing?
Hearing and understanding are two different things. It is possible to hear something and not understand. This may be due to a high-frequency hearing loss. Most consonant sounds are high in pitch and bring clarity to speech. They help you discriminate between different words (i.e. pick, tick, brick, lick, sick). If you have a high-frequency hearing loss, you miss the consonant clarity sounds while hearing the volume from the low pitches.
Who is qualified to conduct a hearing test: a doctor, an audiologist, or a hearing instrument specialist?
You may have your hearing tested by any one of these professionals. All of these professions are uniquely qualified to identify and treat your hearing loss. Here are some important differences between these professions:
  • Physicians
    are rigorously trained to identify and treat medical conditions that involve the ear. Once an ear problem, which requires medication or surgery, has been identified, a physician is the appropriate professional to manage this situation. Physicians that specialize in ear disease are called otologists.
  • Audiologists
    are also trained to identify ear problems. Audiologists, who have advanced degrees from academic institutions, are experts in the non-medical management of hearing loss. This typically involves the selection of hearing aids.
  • Hearing instrument specialists
    are professionals who test hearing and fit hearing aids. Most hearing instrument specialists have limited academic training in hearing aids when compared to audiologists.
What is the difference between an audiologist and a hearing instrument specialist?
Audiologists have the minimum of a master's degree in hearing sciences. Audiologists are educated in hearing, hearing aids, the balance system and some neurological testing.

Hearing instrument specialists act as an apprentice to a professional while taking several courses on hearing loss and hearing instruments through a national board. Hearing instrument specialists test hearing and fit hearing aids.

Both have to pass a state examination to be licensed to fit hearing instruments in that state. Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists are trained to fit major manufacturer's hearing instruments and their programming software.
Will wearing a hearing aid restore my hearing to normal?
Unfortunately, no. Hearing aids are exactly as the name implies, aids. They will not restore your hearing to normal, but they will make most sounds available to you at your hearing level.
Do I need two hearing instruments?
If you have a hearing loss in both ears it is recommended that you wear a hearing instrument in each ear. You can hear better out of two good ears rather than one.
Better Hearing With Both Ears
  • With equal inputs coming from both sides to the brain, it is easier to understand conversation.
  • With good hearing in both ears, it is easier to determine the direction, or source, of sound.
  • When you hear well out of two ears, it boosts the loudness of the signal.
  • Two good ears hear better in noise than one.
Is there a hearing aid that can eliminate background noise?
No hearing aid can completely eliminate background noise. Most of the time, background noise is speech, which is the exact same signal that the hearing aid is trying to amplify. Some hearing aids can lessen the effects of a non-speech noise while some hearing aids can boost the sounds in front of you while decreasing those behind you. This second method works well when you are facing the speaker you want to hear and when you have your back to noise you do not want to hear. This effect is referred to as directionality. Some hearing aids reduce background noise better than others. Your hearing professional can help you determine which hearing aid is the best fit for your listening needs.
What is the "best" hearing aid on the market?
There is not one "best" hearing aid on the market. A hearing aid that works well for one individual may not produce the same results for someone else since everyone has different listening needs. The "best" hearing aid for you is one that can meet your needs, offers you a good warranty and service, and one that your professional is experienced in fitting.
What different types of hearing aid technologies are available? And how do I now what is best for me?
Before this question is answered it is important to outline a few terms. All hearing aids amplify sound. Sound travels through the instrument in the form of waves. These waves of energy ripple across the air in a continuous manner. All hearing devices are designed to amplify these waves of sound energy. All hearing devices have the following miniaturized electronic components: microphone, receiver (speaker), and amplifier. The microphone and receiver in all hearing aids are very similar, however, there are significant differences in the way the amplifier operates in various hearing aids. Essentially, the differences between various hearing aid technologies are related to how the amplifier processes sound.

Hearing aid technology can be divided into two general categories: analog hearing aids and digital hearing aids. In very simple terms, analog and digital refer to how the hearing aids’s amplifier processes sound. Both of these categories can be further divided into more specific subcategories:
  • Analog hearing aids amplify the continuous sound wave by simply making it larger. There are 2 subcategories of analog hearing aids: conventional hearing aids and programmable hearing aids. Conventional and programmable unstruments differ in the amount and degree of adjustments the hearing instrument dispenser can perform on the hearing device. A programmable hearing device allows the dispenser to adjust the amplifier more precisely to match your hearing loss. Programmable analog hearing devices when compared to their conventional equivalent provide greater fitting flexibility. This means that the dispenser can more readily change the way a programmable analog hearing device operates through the use of an office computer. Sometimes the added flexibility of a programmable hearing instrument is an important feature.
  • Digital hearing aids take the continuous sound wave and break it up into very small, discrete bits of information. This is called digitizing the signal and all digital hearing instruments do this. The very fact that a hearing device is digital does not make it better than a comparable analog device. Beyond just digitizing the sound prior to amplification, there are differences in exactly how various digital hearing devices amplify or process sound. The more sophisticated digital hearing instruments are able to amplify the softest sounds of speech while at the same time subtracting out certain types of unwanted noises. Digital signal processing allows hearing instrument designers to write computer programs called algorithms that can be customized to each individual’s hearing loss. In addition, digital hearing instruments enable important features like dual microphones, and low battery warning signals to be placed into a small in-the-ear device. It is this potential that makes digital hearing devices so promising for so many hearing losses. Selecting the type of hearing instrument that is right for your hearing loss and unique listening needs requires the guidance of a professional well versed in all of variations of hearing aid technology.
Are digital hearing instruments for everyone?
No. Digital hearing aids focus more on clarity of sound rather than loudness. Someone with a severe to profound hearing loss, who is used to conventional technology, may not be a candidate for digital circuitry, as this type of circuit may not provide enough amplification. Analog hearing aid technology provides the most appropriate amount and form of amplification for those with a severe to profound hearing loss.
How do I know what size hearing aid I need?
Selection of hearing aid size depends upon your personal preference, your ear canal size, and your hearing loss. The smallest size of a hearing aid is a Completely In the Canal (CIC) and fits deep into your ear canal. It is removed by pulling a small, nearly invisible cord. The next size is an In The Canal (ITC) hearing aids, which fits into your canal and is usually only visible from the side. An In The Ear (ITE) hearing aids fills your entire ear and a Behind The Ear (BTE) hooks on to the top of your ear and goes behind it. Even if the smallest CIC is not appropriate for you, keep in mind that hearing aids are less noticeable than hearing loss.
My friend did not have a positive experience with hearing instruments; will the same happen to me?
Everyone's hearing loss is unique. Although someone you know may have had a negative experience with hearing aids, you may not have the same experience. Hearing Professionals' ability to fit hearing instruments vary, as do hearing aids and technology. Do not base your hearing upon someone else's experiences.
Do hearing aids need repair?
Yes, occasionally hearing aids need repair. Hearing aids are exposed to a damp, waxy environment on a daily basis. Because of this, and normal wear and tear, you can expect to face a repair or two during the lifespan of your hearing instrument. Usually a repair comes with another 1-year warranty. Proper care of your hearing instrument (for example, using a desiccate system to help reduce moisture) can reduce the likelihood of needing repairs). If your hearing instrument is being repaired more than you are able to use it, then it may be time to consider new hearing aids.
How long does it take to adjust to new hearing aids?
It can take several months to completely adjust to your new hearing instruments. Hearing tends to deteriorate gradually over time, so when sounds are reintroduced to the brain in a 30-minute fitting session, it can be overwhelming. The brain may have to relearn the classification of some sounds. Even though it may take several months to completely adjust to hearing through hearing aids, it should only take a week or two for you to notice benefits of a hearing aid.
Whose responsibility is rehabilitation?
Successful rehabilitation depends upon you, your hearing professional, and your support group. It is very important that you communicate openly with your hearing professional and that you understand realistic expectations of hearing aids. It is also necessary for your professional to guide you in your expectations while making adjustments based upon your needs. Also, it is very important to receive support from your friends and family members. Discuss your experience with them and explain your need for their encouragement and understanding.

Hearing aids do not always give immediate results. They may require technical adjustments by the professional along with determination and patience on your part.
How much do hearing aid batteries cost?
An average price for batteries is $1.10 to $1.25 for a cell. If you order a Sonus Solution hearing instrument through a Sonus or Sonus Network Clinic, you will receive a 3-year supply of hearing aid batteries for free!
How long do hearing aid batteries last?
Usually hearing aid batteries last approximately 6-7 days when the hearing aid is used full-time (morning to night, on a daily basis). If your batteries are lasting less than 6 days, consult with your professional. It may be time to send your hearing instrument in for a repair.
Are hearing aid batteries harmful to one's health?
Hearing instrument batteries are harmful if swallowed. Please keep them out of children's reach and away from all medications.
Besides hearing aids, what is available to help me hear?
Assistive listening devices are available to help you hear the television, telephone, doorbell, baby cries, and to help you hear better in different listening environments.