Hearing Aid Center in Federal Way, WA 98003 | Miracle-Ear (2024)

FAQs

What are hearing aid tips? ›

Domes are small, bell- or mushroom-shaped flexible silicone pieces that attach to the end of hearing aid tubing and fit deep in the ear canal. They're also known as tips. The dome's job is to protect a tiny speaker that delivers sound deep in the ear.

Hearing aids will help you hear conversations at a reasonable distance. Honestly, hearing aids will not be as effective beyond 15 feet. This is why they are so much more effective in your living room than they are at church or in a conference room. There are other technologies which help in these areas.

Hearing aid users with standard-level hearing aids will typically be able to hear sounds clearly at lower volumes than they could before they got their hearing aids because the signal processing used by these devices has been fine-tuned over time to provide better results for its wearers.

A hearing evaluation may involve visually examining your ears with an otoscope, air and bone conduction testing, and word discrimination testing. The results, usually presented graphically as an audiogram, will show which sounds you are hearing just fine and which sounds you are missing.

While everyone's experience may be different, it's common for people whose hearing loss reaches the second level (moderate) to begin using a hearing aid. Moderate hearing loss is between 41 and 55 decibels and is characterised by difficulties hearing people at their normal volume.

It is essential to keep both your ears active. But by only wearing one hearing aid, you are effectively leaving the other dormant in its current state of hearing loss. If one or both of your ears are left without stimulation of sounds, then it can start to affect your understanding of speech and noises.

Hearing Loss Ranges (in decibels)

There are different levels of hearing loss. Some forms of hearing loss can be treated with a hearing aid. If your hearing falls into the 26-70 dB range (mild to moderate), a hearing aid can be very effective in restoring sounds for your daily life.

Auditory Neuropathy is a condition where someone with or without hearing loss experiences problems with perceiving speech. They hear the words, they just can't process them correctly. They may be able to hear sounds just fine, but still have difficulty recognizing spoken words.

Audiologists often use Uncomfortable Loudness Levels (ULLs) to identify the sound levels that are perceived as “too loud”. ULLs of less than 80 dB HL can be considered as abnormally low. In cases of severe hyperacusis the ULLs can be as low as 30 dB HL.

Can I just buy a hearing aid without a test? ›

If you are 18 years of age or older and believe you have perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, you can buy an OTC hearing aid in a store or online without seeing an ear-nose-throat (ENT) doctor, or a licensed hearing health care professional (audiologist).

Both ITE (In the Ear) and BTE aids made with ear impressions typically take around 7 to 10 business days to arrive. The reason for this lengthy shipping time is because the mold or impression that's done on your ear must be shipped to the supplier or an ear molding laboratory to be customized for your own ear shape.