FAQ’s

The following are the different types of hearing loss:

Conductive hearing loss: hearing loss caused by problems with the ear canal, eardrum or middle ear. Some possible causes include:

• Malformation of outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear structures
• Fluid in the middle ear
• Ear infection (otitis media – an infection of the middle ear in which an accumulation of fluid may interfere with the movement of the eardrum and ossicles)
• Poor Eustachian tube function
• Perforated eardrum
• Impacted earwax
• Infection in the ear canal
• Foreign body in the ear
• Otosclerosis

Sensorineural hearing loss: hearing loss caused by problems of the inner ear or nerve-related hearing loss. Some possible causes include:

• Noise exposure
• Head trauma
• Virus or disease
• Autoimmune inner ear disease
• Hereditary
• Aging (presbycusis)
• Malformation of the inner ear
• Meniere’s Disease
• Tumors

Mixed hearing loss: hearing loss referring to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

Each person has specific need when it comes to hearing aids.  It is based  on the hearing test report and the person’s lifestyle. It is important to talk with your hearing care provider about what your needs are, what are your expectations and what outcome you are looking for before making the decision

Hearing loss at birth is called congenital hearing loss. It can be caused by genetic factors, infection during pregnancy, prematurity, injury at birth and others. Hearing loss that occurs after birth is called acquired hearing loss. It can be caused by ear infections, viral and bacterial infections like meningitis or measles, head injury and others.

A hearing aid is a small electronic device that you wear in or behind your ear to help you hear better when you have hearing loss.

A hearing aid has three basic parts; a microphone, amplifier and speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through microphone then converts the sound to electrical signal. The amplifier will then increase the power of the signal and send it to the speaker.

Hearing aids cost around $900 to $7000 per piece. The main defining factor of cost is the technology level. Meaning, how intelligent the hearing aid is in processing speech and environmental sounds in different listening situations. The most expensive hearing aid would be the one with a premium technology level, has a rechargeable battery, and Bluetooth connectivity to smart phones, laptop and TV. Also, the research and development costs of hearing aids are high. This is because the chip inside the hearing aids are not reused technology from any other similar devices, they are custom made. As well as the hardware development costs to program and fine tune the hearing aids which are software-based. Such development is important, as hearing aid manufacturers need to remain competitive and offer better solutions to make the users hear better and as normal as possible.

Zinc air batteries with 1.45 volts are the best for hearing aids. Make sure you use the correct size required for your hearing aid type. There are four standard sizes which are 675, 13, 312 and 10. The batteries use air as an energy source, and the sticker on it seals the air holes. Once the sticker is removed, it takes about two minutes before the battery is activated.

The Hearing Centre gives you the electronic dehumidifier which will sanitise the hearing aids as well as dehumidifies it. It produces UV rays which will destroy the bacteria and viruses

The complete drying and cleaning cycle will take only 30 minutes and the machine will automatically turn off when the cycle is finished.

We at The Hearing Centre don’t normally recommend wearing hearing aids while we sleep because they are prone to falling out from the ear. While sleeping the microphone can be covered by pillow or mattress and can cause feedback. Finally the air can circulate in the ear canal and prevent from moisture build up in the ear canal

Online hearing test is a hearing screening option to get the estimated level of your hearing. It is different from the hearing test done in the clinic, where your audiologist will physically examine your ears first before the test and conduct a more diagnostic assessment of your hearing. Online hearing test is usually used for hearing awareness and only as a quick hearing check, this should not be used to diagnose hearing loss and prescribe hearing aids.

Starkey and GN ReSound hearing aids has a GPS tracker that can locate your hearing aids with the use of the smart phone app. This works for iPhone and ASHA compatible Android phones.

• Wear your hearing aids Initially for few hours. Slowly increase the duration and eventually wear them during your waking hours. The more you wear your hearing aids,the more sounds you will be able to detect and filter so your brain will have been able to acclimate faster.
• They might feel funny initially but don’t be discouraged
• Start using in a quiet environment and slowly progress to noisy environments
• Read aloud . This will help used with your own voice
• Always remember your hearing aids are not waterproof.

Some known causes include viral infections like mumps and measles, head trauma, acoustic neuroma, labyrinthitis and Meniere’s disease.

Hearing aid pricing varies depending on the style, type and most importantly, technology. The price of a single hearing aid ranges from $800 to $6000+ per ear. This price includes the cost of hearing examination, the consultation, and fitting and post-fitting adjustments. The device warranty can range from one to three years.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is a surgically implanted device for people with hearing loss. While conventional hearing aids transmit sound through air conduction, BAHA stimulates the cochlea through bone conduction., thereby bypassing the outer and middle ear.

If your tinnitus is caused by an underlying health condition that is treatable, addressing it may help to stop or reduce the sound. One example of this is earwax build-up. If you have hearing loss, hearing aids may help to override or mask the tinnitus. Sound suppression may also come from white noise machines that produce stimulated environmental sounds such as ocean waves. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) aims to retrain the way you think to change your behavior towards tinnitus and eventually to reduce your anxiety. Alternative medicine have little evidence of effectivity but some have tried to resort to this method in managing tinnitus. This includes acupuncture, hypnosis, ginkgo biloba, zinc supplements and B vitamins.

Signia’s Silk X is the ideal hearing solution for those who value discretion above all. It is a ready-to-wear CIC under Signia’s Xperience platform. This means even with its small size, the user is getting the advantage of clear speech technology, wireless remote fine-tuning, and ability to use Signia App that enables the user to adjust their hearing aid settings with their smart phone.

Cochlear’s Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) is the latest and best in terms of technology. Their devices are discreet and have a powerful range for those who have conductive to mixed hearing losses. They have a non-surgical option using Baha® SoundArc™ and Baha® Softband, and if the user decides on having a BAHA system that is surgically implanted, the same BAHA sound processor can still be used without needing to buy a new device. Cochlear’s BAHA is also the world’s first bone conduction sound processor that can stream sound directly from Apple devices (MFi technology).

The Hearing Centre carries 4 of the major hearing aid brands, which are Phonak, Starkey, GN Resound and Signia. We want to give more options to our clients, especially the first time users, because we believe that hearing is very subjective, and that what fit your friend may not always be the one suitable for you. Our experienced audiologists will evaluate your hearing loss and lifestyle needs to professionally advise you the models that will match your needs. We also have a wide range of hearing aids that can fit your cosmetic concerns and even budget concerns.

Due to improvements in hearing aid technology, the hearing aids available now come in different styles and sizes. Users have varying definitions of “invisible”, whatever you need, there is always a solution for you. There are hearing aids that can match the colour of your skin and your hair, there are hearing aids that look like a Bluetooth earpiece (Hearables), and there is a discreet type that is called invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aid.

Hearing Aids  price ranges from $900 to $7000 per piece. Price depends on the hearing aid power, technology level, rechargeability and Bluetooth connectivity. The Hearing Centre offers a wide range of hearing aids depending on the users budget.

In deciding on whether hearing aids are suitable for you, it is more important to focus on how hearing loss is affecting you than just simply basing it on the level of hearing loss. Mild hearing loss can be communication barrier because it affects speech understanding in presence of background noise (e.g. air conditioner, background music and other people talking).

Phonak Hearing aids latest Paradise technology gives you more crisp and natural sound quality. Its speech enhancer will boost the soft level speech which results in brilliant speech understanding. Using its Dynamic Noise Cancellation you can personalize the amount of noise cancellation you want all in real-time – all through the MY Phonak app. It connects directly to IOS as well as android phones. You can also simultaneously connect to two Bluetooth devices..

Hearing aids are beneficial to hear better in the quiet as well as noisy environments. If will slow down the cognitive decline. It reduces the annoyance of tinnitus. It will make you active and results in better quality of social life

The following are the signs of hearing loss:

1. Speech not so clear as before or feels muffled
2. Difficulty in understanding speech in noisy environments
3. Often asks people to repeat
4. Trouble hearing people speaking from behind or from another room
5. Ringing or buzzing in your ears
6. Often needs to increase the Tv volume
7. Difficulty in following speech over Phone

If you have anyone or combination of symptoms, it is necessary for your hearing to be checked. We provide free hearing test in Singapore