Hearing Aids

Appreciate every moment, every day.

Is It Time for Hearing Aids?

Hearing loss is a sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older and elderly adults. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms. It can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. All of this can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous.

Do others complain the TV is too loud?

Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy room?

Do you have more trouble hearing women than men?

Do you ask others to repeat themselves?

Do you avoid going out because you’ll struggle to hear?

Do you notice any ringing or buzzing sounds in either ear?

Hearing Aid Consultations

Bergen Audiology prides itself on being the region’s premier experts in hearing aid selections. We are here to help you navigate through the complex process of choosing the right hearing aid device for you.

Choose the right device manufacturer

We offer a wide selection of hearing aid manufacturers and can help you choose the right device from almost every major hearing aid brand.

After an initial fitting and adjustment, your hearing aid can have the look, feel, and technological options of a customized device. Contact Bergen Audiology to set up a hearing aid consultation today.

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Select the Size & Style

Modern hearing aids range from over-the-ear models to virtually invisible completely-in canal-devices. Selecting the right style of hearing aid is a personal choice, one that reflects your lifestyle, your goals, and your “look.” Bergen Audiology carries all of the latest designs along with the classics. We can help you choose the device that reflects your personal style and delivers the performance you need.

Pick the Right Circuitry

The goal of every hearing aid consultation is to present the client with the technology that will restore hearing to as close to normal as possible. Newer devices perform on a level not possible with legacy devices. Some of these impressive offerings include feedback suppression, digital frequency enhancement and filtering, directional microphone technology, and voice-tracking algorithms. During your consultation, your audiologist will explain the options and make suggestions according to your specific needs.

Brands We Carry

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Phonak

Continuously challenging the limits of technology to help overcome even the most difficult hearing situations. Learn more about the latest key technologies available from Phonak.

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GNResound

Ecosystem of hearing aids, apps, and wireless accessories let you adapt to all kinds of environments and situations and makes sure you hear the sounds you want to hear.

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Oticon

People First is a promise: That everything we do always begins with the people we are doing it for. We are not simply trying to help you hear more, but to live more.

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Signia

Signia hearing aids deliver the sound that nature intended by combining uncompromised audibility with a natural sounding own voice hear everything in harmony.

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Starkey

Helping millions of patients with never-before-seen hearing aid technologies. Starkey believes every person’s hearing loss is unique that’s why every solution they design is, too.

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Unitron Hearing

The small size & flawless finish contribute to the impressive appearance. Each detail is combined for comfort and functional buttons are designed for effortless use.

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Widex

Our uncompromising approach to innovation has led to such advances as the world’s first digital in-the-ear hearing aid, as well as our own revolutionary wireless technology.

Getting Started is Easy

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Free Phone Consultation

We can answer many simpler questions over the phone.

Book Appointment

Call us or send us an email to schedule an appointment.

Meet the Doctor!

Call our office and schedule a time for a free hearing screening.

Follow Up & Care

Our exceptional, friendly staff is one of our greatest assets, and we are proud of their long time association with our office. Patients tell us often how well we work together as a team.

We pride ourselves on staying on the cutting edge of hearing healthcare and great patient communication. Each of our staff members is motivated to achieve the best results for our patients in a calming and comfortable setting.

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What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is more commonly known as a “ringing in the ears”; however, the sound that is perceived in tinnitus may be a roaring, a humming, a buzzing, or a hissing. Regardless of the sound that is perceived, tinnitus is the sensation of sound that is not occurring in the environment.

Tinnitus is extremely common. According to the American Tinnitus Association, approximately 50 million people in the United States have chronic tinnitus, which is tinnitus that lasts for more than six months. Tinnitus can also be quite disabling. Many people with this condition experience depression, insomnia, and markedly decreased quality of life.

When evaluating a client with possible tinnitus, your audiologist will perform a detailed clinical history and physical examination to try to localize the source of the problem. In most cases, audiometric testing including a pure-tone audiogram, tympanometry, auditory reflex testing, determination of speech discrimination abilities, and otoacoustic emissions testing is required (These are the same tests performed during a hearing aid evaluation). These painless tests can determine if the source of the tinnitus is the middle ear, cochlea, or the brainstem.

There are several treatment options for tinnitus. The standard treatment, especially in individuals who have some degree of hearing loss, is a hearing aid. A hearing aid can accentuate or amplify sounds from the environment, making the tinnitus softer for less noticeable by comparison.

Other treatments for tinnitus include tinnitus retraining therapy or tinnitus masking therapy, biofeedback, and cognitive behavioral therapy. In retraining therapy, the client is trained to ignore the tinnitus and focus on true sounds. Masking therapy uses a device that resembles a hearing aid to provide the ear with sounds that cover or mask the tinnitus. In biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy, the goal is to develop ways to cope with and ignore the tinnitus, hopefully making it less prominent and more easily manageable.

If you think you may have tinnitus, you should not have to suffer. Contact Bergen Audiology for a tinnitus appointment today to discuss your treatment options

Causes of Hearing Loss

The simple act of hearing is anything but simple. Hearing is a complex process that involves several specialized structures within the ear and brain. As such, hearing loss can occur at any number of places.

The causes of hearing loss can be divided by their location, namely the outer ear, middle ear, or inner ear. The outer ear is the “ear” that you see, also called the auricle, plus the ear canal. The inner ear includes the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the small ossicles (hammer, anvil, and stirrup). The main structure in the inner ear involved in hearing is the cochlea.

Hearing loss in the outer ear

One of the most common and easily treated causes of hearing loss involving the outer ear is the buildup of earwax (cerumen). Some people produce excessive amounts of earwax that does not properly clear from the ear canal. Likewise, people trying to clean their ears with cotton swabs tend to push the earwax towards the eardrum and compact it. This earwax physically blocks the ability of sound waves to reach the eardrum.

Other substances may block the ear canal and interfere with hearing. Serious infections, bony or tissue growths (polyps) or even small tumors can block the ear canal and cause hearing loss.

Hearing loss in the middle ear

The most common cause of middle ear hearing loss is otitis media or middle ear infection. Fluid builds up behind the eardrum to prevent it from moving freely, which decreases its ability to transmit sound waves.

Other forms of infection may interfere with the function of the Eustachian tube, a tube that connects the middle ear to the throat. This tube normally balances air pressure in the middle ear (the reason your ears may “pop” when you yawn). When the Eustachian tube is inflamed, too little or too much air pressure may build up behind the eardrum and prevent it from moving properly, leading to decreased hearing.

It is not common to develop small or even large holes in the eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation). The hole in the eardrum obviously affects its ability to transmit sound waves.

Less common causes of hearing loss within the middle ear include cholesteatoma, paraganglioma, and otosclerosis.

Hearing loss in the inner ear

Hearing loss that affects the inner ear is sometimes called sensorineural hearing loss because it involves the cochlea (a sensory organ) and/or the nerves and brain. Not surprisingly, diagnosing and treating hearing loss that occurs within the inner ear is challenging.

Perhaps the most common cause of inner ear hearing loss is age-related hearing loss (presbycusis). It is progressive, occurs equally in both ears, and usually affects high-frequency sounds more than low-frequency sounds. People with age-related hearing loss often notice that they have problems understanding speech in a noisy environment.

Meniere disease affects the inner ear but causes more problems than simply hearing loss. In addition to hearing loss, people with Meniere disease usually experience prolonged vertigo, fullness in the ears, and ringing in the ears.

The hair cells within the cochlea are very sensitive structures, both to sounds and to substances. Prolonged exposure to loud noises, certain drugs or environmental toxins, and metabolic diseases can impair or destroy cochlear hair cells. In some cases, this damage can lead to permanent hearing loss.

If you think you may be experiencing hearing loss, the first step is to schedule a hearing screening. Your audiologist can perform a simple, painless test that will identify if you have any hearing loss. Moreover, your audiologist has the expertise and resources to pinpoint the location of your hearing loss and help develop a comprehensive treatment strategy.

What is Normal Hearing?

Humans hear by collecting sound waves from the environment and converting them into signals that the brain can understand. Hearing would not be possible without several highly specialized anatomic structures, some of which you have probably heard of, and others that may be new to you.

A sound is a vibration in the environment that reaches the ear and moves the eardrum (tympanic membrane). The outer, visible portion of the ear that we commonly refer to as the ear (auricle) is only the first and most noticeable part of the hearing organ. The auricle, with its conical shape and many ridges, collects vibrations from the environment and funnels them into the ear canal. These vibrations strike the eardrum, causing it to vibrate.

Once the vibrations move the eardrum, soundwave energy is converted to mechanical energy. Vibrations of the eardrum are transmitted through the three small bones of the middle ear the malleus, incus, and stapes (you probably learned them as the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup, respectively). These tiny bones (ossicles) then transmit this energy to his seashell-shaped structure called the cochlea.

The cochlea is a remarkable biological structure. It has a swirling pattern that tapers toward the center. It is filled with two different types of thick fluid (perilymph and endolymph) through which the sound energy travels. Along with the internal walls of the cochlea are specialized hair cells (cilia) that extend into the cochlear fluid. Hair cells near the opening of the cochlea respond to high-frequency sounds while hair cells near the apex of the cochlea respond to low-frequency sounds.

When energy from the original soundwave strikes a hair cell, it bends. This bending process stimulates an electrical signal that is sent along nerve cells to the brain. The brain (auditory cortex) then receives these electrical impulses and interprets them as sound.

The brain can decipher many bits of information from sound waves such as volume, frequency, and direction. This information is then shared with other brain regions that perform other tasks, such as interpreting the content and meaning of human speech.

Given the complexities of the system, it is not surprising that hearing loss can occur at any number of places within the system. Your audiologist can perform a number of sophisticated, noninvasive, and painless tests to determine if you have hearing loss, the source of the hearing loss, and the best treatment options for your situation.

 

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201-489-4487

20 Prospect Avenue, Suite 613, Hackensack, NJ 07601