Audiology at HEAR Surgical Associates
Hearing loss may occur at any age for various reasons. Though you may consider hearing loss as inevitable, you should never take hearing for granted or leave it untreated. At HEAR Surgical Associates, our goal is to help patients of all ages experience better hearing and communication.
We provide comprehensive care for all your hearing needs at our hearing center, including hearing exams and surgical management when necessary.
Symptoms of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can occur in patients of all ages, from infants to older adults. It’s important to recognize the signs of hearing loss, so you can manage it before your speech comprehension or cognition is affected. If you have noticed any of these symptoms, you should schedule an appointment to have your hearing checked.
- Sounds seem muffled or unclear
- You strain to hear in noisy environments
- You frequently ask people to repeat themselves
- You turn the TV volume up louder
- It’s difficult to hear high pitched voices such as women and children
- You hear a ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
Hearing Services
Hearing Tests
We offer diagnostic hearing tests in Spring, TX, for patients of all ages. Our experienced team includes a board-certified hearing instrument specialist who can test your hearing and examine your ears for any problems. We offer the following types of hearing tests:
- Pure Tone Audiometry
- Speech Audiometry
- Tympanometry
- Bone Conduction Test
Cerumen Removal
Cerumen (earwax) is necessary for good ear health. However, sometimes it becomes impacted and can cause clogged ears and muffled hearing. If you have a build-up of earwax that is impacting your hearing ability, contact our office for an ear exam. We can safely remove earwax and help you hear clearly again.
Tinnitus Management
Tinnitus, also known as “ringing in the ears,” affects millions of people in the United States. While there is no one tinnitus treatment, there are management options that can help alleviate your perception of the phantom sounds. Hearing aids are an option that can help. Although hearing aids won’t stop ringing in the ears completely, they can mask your perception of tinnitus and provide some relief.
Custom Hearing Protection
Loud noise exposure is one of the most common causes of hearing loss and tinnitus cases in adults and children of all ages. It’s important to protect your hearing ability by avoiding loud noises and when exposed, to wear hearing protection. At our hearing clinic, we can create custom fit earmolds, earplugs, and in-ear monitors for optimal hearing protection.
Hearing Surgery in Houston
Surgery can vary from simple repair of a hole in the eardrum to reconstruction of the tiny bones in the middle ear space. Sometimes patients have a fixation of the last middle ear bone (stapes) and benefit from replacement with a prosthetic – stapedectomy.
- Repair Hole in Eardrum – Tympanoplasty
- Treatment for Otosclerosis – Stapedectomy
- Replace Damaged Middle Ear Bones – Ossicular Chain Reconstruction
Surgery for Profound Nerve Hearing Loss
For patients with sensorineural hearing loss that is severe enough they are unable to benefit from hearing aids, they may be a candidate for a cochlear implant. This is a surgically implanted device that provides electrical stimulation to the inner ear structures (nerve endings in the cochlea) to regain a sense of hearing.
Treatment for Single Sided Deafness
There are options for a surgically implanted hearing aid that uses bone conduction to stimulate the inner ear hearing apparatus (cochlea), which is called a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA). Bone-anchored hearing aids are for those with severe hearing impairments.
