Hearing loss is a common problem, and its effects range from annoying to life-altering.
Hearing aids have been on the market for a while, but new technology makes hearing aids different from those that have existed for decades.
Earlens is a unique technology that gently and non-surgically vibrates your eardrum, unlike traditional hearing aids that only make sound louder through a speaker.
“What that motor does is not only move the eardrum itself, but it also moves the three auditory bones in the middle ear and sends that impulse to the brain, so the patient has an almost natural hearing experience,” says Colin. said Dr. Keith Matheny, county ear, nose and throat specialist. nose and throat.
“This is the only technology we offer that makes patients cry tears of joy when they activate it on a daily basis. So it's very gratifying for me to be able to offer something like that to patients. That's true,” Matheny said.
Jason Whitehair, 64, is one such patient.
He said that six years ago, his wife complained that the TV was always too loud because of his hearing.
He also tried traditional hearing aids because he had trouble understanding people in crowded environments such as restaurants.
“They were unpleasant. Basically the volume increased, but the audible range at lower and higher frequencies did not increase,” Whitehair said.
“I think I wore them about 20% of the time I should have,” he added.
He switched to Earlens over a year ago.
“I immediately noticed a difference in the clarity of the sounds I heard. I heard birds chirping that I hadn't heard in years. Most importantly, they were so comfortable. By the time I couldn't even hear them anymore. It only took two weeks.''I wear it in my ear 12 to 15 hours a day,'' Whitehair said.
The hearing aids cost $12,000 and also cover visits every two to three months.
According to the NIH, approximately 15% of Americans over the age of 18 report some type of hearing loss.
