Audiology

You deserve to hear all the beautiful sounds of the world, but sometimes your ears need help. Visit a certified audiologist at Meritas Health ENT for friendly, comprehensive care.

What is Audiology?

Audiologists at Meritas Health ENT provide an individualized approach to identify your needs and treat your symptoms. Your audiologist works closely with you and your family to help reach desired outcomes through prevention, identification, assessment and treatment of hearing disorders.

Audiologists treat patients of all ages, from children to aging adults. Your hearing health is our top priority.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss may be caused by a variety of conditions, but also may be diagnosed at birth. Temporary or permanent hearing loss may result from fluid in the inner ear, ear infections, injuries, abnormal growths, dietary habits or aging. Noise exposure, whether from a loud industrial environment or recreational activities (anything from woodworking tools, to music, to gunfire), also can result in hearing loss.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

Symptoms of hearing loss or other auditory issues, include:

• Ear pain, itching or irritation
• Difficulty understanding what people are saying
• Difficulty hearing the TV or radio without increasing the volume
• Muffled noises or feeling your ear is plugged
• Ringing, roaring, hissing or buzzing in the ear

Diagnosing Hearing Conditions

A hearing evaluation is the best way for your doctor to diagnose and understand any hearing issues.

Using sound waves and vibrations, your audiologist will determine how well the inner ear is functioning. The results help the audiologist make a diagnosis and set a path for care and treatment. Hearing tests may include:

• Pure-tone testing − Measures the amount of hearing loss present at particular pitches or frequencies
• Speech recognition testing − Determines the degree to which speech can be heard
• Tympanometry – Assesses functionality of the eardrum and ear bones
• Word discrimination – Evaluates the degree of hearing loss for understanding words

Our audiologists also may perform other tests to determine if your hearing loss may be caused by dizziness, tinnitus (noise or ringing in your ear), ear pain and other conditions.

Audiology Treatment and Care

The doctors at Meritas Health ENT offer a wide range of audiology care and treatment, including:

• Digital hearing instrument recommendations for home and travel
• Hearing aid pairing and fitting
• Hearing aid repair
• Patient education on ways to limit future hearing loss

Find Answers to Hearing Loss

Your Meritas Health audiologist supports you and your family every step of the way. From diagnosing your hearing loss and providing the right treatment, to pairing you with the perfect device, your hearing health is in good hands with Meritas Health ENT.

At Meritas Health ENT, board-certified audiologists diagnose the cause of your hearing loss and determine the best treatment for you or your loved ones. Our audiologists have doctoral degrees in audiology that require eight years of higher education and an extensive amount of training in every aspect of the ear. If you are concerned about your hearing, we recommend you see an audiologist for a diagnostic evaluation.