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Hearing Loss & How to Prevent It

Over 36 million Americans face high hearing aid costs, and the problem is likely to get worse in coming years. Hearing aid prices continue to rise, and the incidence of hearing loss is steadily increasing.

There are a couple broad reasons for this trend. First, the population is aging. Around half of Americans with hearing loss are 60 or younger – but it’s still true that all else equal, an aging population will suffer a greater degree of hearing loss. This age-related hearing loss is called presbycusis, and its incidence increases with age.

Second, hearing loss is becoming more prevalent within each individual age range. The leading cause of preventable hearing loss is prolonged exposure to loud noises. The ubiquity of iPods and in-ear headphones means that large portions of the population listen to volumes of 100 dB for prolonged periods of time. As the “iPod generation” ages, all expectations are that it will suffer greater hearing loss, at younger ages, than generations before them. But of course, iPods are not just for young people, and older generations are at just as much risk.

Genetics play a role – age-related hearing loss tends to run in families. But many other common causes are avoidable. Here are a few tips for avoiding preventable causes of hearing loss:

  • Stop smoking. In addition to facing numerous other health problems, smokers are more likely to develop hearing loss
  • Get your hearing tested. Periodic hearing tests are the only way to measure changes in hearing ability over time.
  • Keep music at a moderate volume. A good rule of thumb is that you should still be able to hear someone talking from a few feet away. This is especially important as iPods and other MP3 players can produce sounds of up to 100dB, which can cause damage over extended listening periods.
  • Invest in sound-isolating or noise-cancelling headphones. A common issue is that headphone listeners turn up the volume in noisy environments to achieve the same “effective volume” and drown out background noise – but this is hard on your ears! Using noise cancelling headphones that block out ambient noise, rather than simply increasing the volume of your music, lowers your absolute noise exposure.
  • Avoid loud noises. Jackhammers, lawnmowers, etc. can be damaging to your ears, especially with repeated exposure. A rule of thumb supported by OSHA is that sounds over 85dB should be avoided.
  • Give your ears a rest. Listening to your iPod at 90dB for a few minutes may be fine, but hours on end is likely to cause damage over long periods of time
  • Respect your genes. You can’t do much to alter your genetic tendency for hearing loss – but if you know hearing loss runs in the family, you may benefit from taking extra precautions to protect your hearing
  • Consider Hearing Aids. While hearing aids can't prevent hearing loss, they can measurably improve quality of life.

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The X-Series Models

Vs
  • Compare to:

  • Our price per ear/pair:

  • ? This is the number of frequency bands we use to program your hearing aids to the results of your hearing test. The hearing aid then uses these bands to re-build sound to meet the needs of your hearing loss. The greater the number of bands, the better the sound quality delivered to you.
    Programable bands/channels

  • ? Our comprehensive warranty covers any manufacturer defects including free replacement of rechargeable batteries and receivers as well as half price one-time loss and irreparable damage replacement. In addition, during the warranty, there is no charge for reprogramming or adjustments.
    Warranty (and Loss Insurance)

  • ? Connects directly to your smartphone (or other Android or Apple device). Two way streaming enables completely hands free calls. Add our TV Connector for direct streaming from your TV so you can adjust your TV volume without affecting the sound for others.
    Bluetooth for completeley hands-free calls

  • ? Although the software on these hearings makes adjustments seldom necessary, it is possible to change the volume and some manual settings using either the free smartphone App or the buttons on the aids. An optional hand held remote is also available.
    Volume and Program Control

  • ? We offer a choice of disposable 312 battery or lithium ion rechargeable battery on some models. The rechargeable battery will perform for up to 24 hours after a 3 hour charge. The disposable batteries will last 3-7 days depending on hours of use, level of hearing loss and amount of Bluetooth streaming. A year’s supply of size 312 batteries currently costs about $30/year/aid.
    Power Source

  • ? The hearing aid's software automatically identifies and adjusts to changes in your sound environment (e.g. From a quiet car to a noisy restaurant) so no manual adjustments are needed.
    Automatically adjusts to your environment

  • ? This is the best technology for group situations. It provides optimal speech understanding from all directions by dynamically scanning your environment to focus on the active speaker in your immediate vicinity.
    LiveSpeechFocus

  • ? While most people find that the restoration of high frequency hearing through the use of properly programmed hearing aids significantly improves tinnitus symptoms, there is more we can do. All of our hearing aids come with a tinnitus management program. This is not a cure but it can further help alleviate tinnitus symptoms through the use of a self-adjustable 'white noise' sound in the background.
    Tinnitus Manager Program

  • ? BiCROS hearing aid progamming is for people who have unaidable hearing loss in one ear but have some level of hearing in the other. You would wear hearing aids on both ears. We program them so a microphone picks up sounds from the weak ear and transmits them to wirelessly to the ear with better hearing.
    BiCROS programming

  • ? REMOTE PROGRAMMING - With the X-550 and X-950 models, we can make adjustments to you hearing aids remotely. You would explain the issue to our Audiologists and the new program would be uploaded to your hearing aids automatically (via Bluetooth).
    Remote Programming

  • ? TELECOIL - The telecoil is also known as a T-coil, or T-switch. When activated, the telecoil permits the transmission of sound from a "Hearing Loop" sometimes found in public spaces and theaters. If you require this feature, please call us for details at (888) 929-9555.
    Telecoil

  • Colors

The C-Series Models

Vs
  • Compare to:

  • Our price per ear/pair:

  • ? This is the number of frequency bands we use to program your hearing aids to the results of your hearing test. The hearing aid then uses these bands to re-build sound to meet the needs of your hearing loss. The greater the number of bands, the more natural the sound and the better the performance in more challenging situations, like restaurants.
    Programable bands/channels

  • ? Our comprehensive warranty covers any manufacturer defects including free replacement of rechargeable batteries and receivers as well as half price one-time loss and irreparable damage replacement. In addition, during the warranty, there is no charge for reprogramming or adjustments.
    Warranty (and Loss Insurance)

  • ? Although the software on these hearings makes adjustments seldom necessary, it is possible to change the volume and some manual settings using the Android/Apple smartphone App or optional hand held remote.
    Volume and Program Control

  • ? The disposable size 10 batteries on these hearing aids will last about 4-6 days depending on hours of use and level of hearing loss. A year’s supply of size 10 batteries currently costs about $30/year/aid.
    Power Source

  • ? The hearing aid's software automatically identifies and adjusts to changes in your sound environment (e.g. From a quiet car to a noisy restaurant) so no manual adjustments are needed.
    Automatically adjusts to your environment

  • ? This is the best technology for group situations. It provides optimal speech understanding from all directions by dynamically scanning your environment to focus on the active speaker in your immediate vicinity.
    LiveSpeechFocus

  • ? While most people find that the restoration of high frequency hearing through the use of properly programmed hearing aids significantly improves tinnitus symptoms, there is more we can do. All of our hearing aids come with a tinnitus management program. This is not a cure but it can further help alleviate tinnitus symptoms through the use of a self-adjustable 'white noise' sound in the background.
    Tinnitus Manager Program

  • ? BiCROS hearing aids are designed for people who have unaidable hearing loss in one ear but have some level of hearing in the other. You would wear hearing aids on both ears. A microphone picks up sounds from the weak ear and transmits it to wirelessly to the ear with better hearing
    BiCROS programming

  • ? With the C-540 and C-940 models, we can make adjustments to you hearing aids remotely. You would explain the issue to our Audiologists and the new program would be uploaded to your hearing aids automatically.
    Remote programming and adjustments

  • Telecoil

  • Colors

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