ear, nose, and throat disorders
Hearing Loss
Treatment of Hearing Loss
Any cause of hearing loss is treated. For example, doctors remove benign or cancerous growths. When possible, they stop giving Ear Disorders Caused by Drugs (unless the need for the drug outweighs the risk of additional hearing loss). Many causes of hearing loss have no cure, and treatment involves compensating for the hearing loss with Hearing Aids and various assistive strategies and technologies. Several types of Other Means of Coping With Hearing Loss are available for people who have significant hearing loss. Alerting systems that use light let people with hearing loss know when the doorbell is ringing, a smoke detector is sounding, or a baby is crying. Special sound systems transmitting infrared or FM radio signals help people hear in theaters, churches, or other places where competing noise exists. Many television programs carry closed captioning. Telephone communication devices are also available. People with profound hearing loss often communicate by using sign language. American Sign Language (ASL) is the most common version in the United States. Other forms of language using visual signs include Signed English, Signing Exact English, and Cued Speech. Around the world, it has been estimated that there are over 300 unique sign languages, with different countries, cultures, and villages having their own unique form of sign language. People with hearing loss in only one ear (single-sided deafness [SSD]) usually do not have communication limitations in one-on-one situations. However, with noisy backgrounds or complex acoustic environments (for example, classrooms, parties, and meetings), people with SSD are unable to hear and communicate effectively. Further, people who hear out of only one ear are unable to localize the origin of sounds (sound localization). For many people, SSD can be life-altering and lead to significant disability at work and in social situations. Treatment for SSD includes Contralateral Routing of Signal (CROS) hearing aids or bone-anchored hearing implants that pick up sound from the deaf side and transfer it to the hearing ear. Although these technologies improve hearing in noisy settings, they do not allow sound localization. Cochlear Implants are increasingly being used with success in people with SSD, particularly if the SSD is accompanied by severe 