Bronwen Hofmeister Audiologist

Do you have a hearing loss?

1. Do people appear to mumble?

2. Does your family complain that the TV is too loud?

3. Do you often find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?

4. Do you have difficulties hearing the telephone?

5. Do you have difficulty understanding children?

6. Do you have difficulties hearing in background noise, such as a party or meeting?

7. Do you have difficulty hearing people in group conversations?

8. Do you often misunderstand what is said?

If you answered yes to three or more of these questions you may have a hearing loss.

We recommend you have your hearing professionally assessed.

Call
Bronwen Hofmeister
on 07 3720 9555 to arrange an appointment

The ear is responsible for hearing and balance. In conjunction with our other senses, hearing is crucial for making us aware of and being able to participate in our surroundings.

The ear is made up of three main parts; the outer, the middle and the inner ear.

The Outer Ear

The outer ear is the 'sound collector' . Sound waves enter the outer ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. The eardrum is connected to a chain of three tiny bones called the ossicles. The ossicles are part of the middle ear.

The Middle Ear

The middle ear is the 'sound transporter' . The middle ear intensifies the energy of sound vibrations and delivers this sound to the cochlea. The cochlea is part of the inner ear.

The Inner Ear

The inner ear is 'hearing and balance' . Inside the cochlea there are over 10,000 'hair cells' and each one is sensitive to a specific frequency and intensity of sound. The hair cells are moved by the sound vibrations entering the inner ear. This movement causes the hair cells to generate electro-chemical signals and these signals can then travel along the hearing nerve to the brain where they are recognised as sound.

Hearing Loss

There are three types of hearing loss; conductive, sensorineural and mixed hearing loss.

Conductive Loss

Conductive loss is caused by problems in the outer or middle ear that interferes with sound being 'transported' into the inner ear.

Sensorineural Loss

This is also known as permanent loss. People with permanent losses have damaged hair cells which means weaker electro-chemical signals are being generated which in turn means the brain is getting less sound information. 90% of all hearing losses fall into this category.

Mixed Loss

This loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural problems. All three types of losses can be assisted with hearing aids or cochlear implants.