CAN YOU SEE ME NOW?

ORANGE GROVE PLAZA
GABLEWOOD MALL
CASTRIES
SOUFRIERE
VIEUX FORT

AUDIOLOGY CLINIC

Those ear flap appendages on the sides of you head are not only used for display!

But do you know how complicated the ear really is?

The human ear is an advanced and very sensitive organ of the body. The function of the ear is to transmit sound to the brain through the ear.

The sound waves travel through the various parts of the ear:

….from the outer ear, and in through the auditory canal, causing the eardrum, or tympanic membrane, to vibrate. This, in turn, causes the three small bones, the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup, in the middle ear to move. The vibrations move via the oval window through the fluid in the cochlea in the inner ear, stimulating thousands of tiny hair cells. This results in the transformation of the vibrations into electrical impulses finally perceived by the brain as sound.

Not surprising as we age parts of this complex process might not completely function as they should.

But there is where the Hearing Specialist at Vision Express can help.

BOOK AN AUDIOLOGY APPOINTMENT

The Audiology Clinic is arranged on a weekly basis at all Vision Express stores.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS THAT SOMEONES HEARING MIGHT BE A PROBLEM?

…..signs and symptoms to look out for can be:

Turning up the volume on the television or radio
Asking people to repeat themselves
Difficulty hearing people talking from behind
Difficulty understanding conversations over the telephone
Not hearing the doorbell or the telephone ringing
Certain sounds may seem overly loud
Ringing ears (tinnitus )

What happens with a Hearing Test ?

The hearing care professional will start by examining your ears with a special instrument called an otoscope. With this examination the hearing care professional can find out if there are any problems in the ear canal or with the eardrum.

In a quiet room, a different range and volume of sounds will the be played to you , using head phones, to see if there are any areas of hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss develops slowly and gradually, so normally we do not notice the decline in our ability to hear.

An age-related hearing loss is a sensorineural hearing loss that results from loss of or damage to some of the tiny hair cells in the cochlear in the inner ear.

Statistically we all start to lose our hearing when we are in our 40s. One adult in five and more than half of all people over the age of 80 suffer from hearing loss.

Most cases of hearing loss are permanent.

This means that hearing loss cannot be reversed and that there is no medical cure or treatment that can bring the hearing back or restore hearing, …… unless the hearing loss is caused by infections or earwax.

But a permanent hearing loss can be treated by using hearing aids.

More than half of the hearing impaired population are of working age.

If you are in a job where loud noises are constant … hearing loss can develop, and regular check ups are a great idea.

Hearing aids available at all
Vision Express stores

This provides a good selection of hearing aid options and variety of prices. Linora, the Hearing Specialist will fully explain the hearing aid options possible.

The hearing aids will be programmed to your needs and we’ll make sure you know how to use them before you leave the store.

A free follow-up appointment will be made to check that everything is working well, and adjust the hearing aids if necessary.

All hearing aids require batteries.

Without batteries, the hearing aids do not work.

Standard hearing aid batteries last anywhere from 3 to 22 days, depending on the type of hearing aid, the battery type and capacity, how often the hearing aid is used.

It is always good to keep spares in stock so you can replace as needed.

If you need help with this Linora at VE Hearing will help and show you how to change the batteries.

We also carry the latest hearing aids with rechargeable batteries.

The batteries are recharged in a special charger at night when the hearing aids are not in use, just like you recharge your smartphone.

EAR WAX REMOVAL

Earwax probably isn’t something you’ve given much thought to, but it’s actually a very important part of your ear health.

Essentially, earwax is an efficient self-cleaning service for your ears, and helps to protect the sensitive ear canal from things like bacteria and debris that can cause infections.

Produced naturally by glands in the ear canal, you’ll recognise earwax as any colour from yellow, to bright orange, to dark brown. Your body will normally produce enough earwax to maintain health on its own, but sometimes this wax can become hard and impacted, which can lead to problems like hearing loss, or discomfort.

For earwax removals, Vision Express Hearing Clinic uses Irrigation, using the bionix water system and a manual hand tools called a curette.This is a convenient and safe ear wax removal system .Earwax Removal by irrigation is a very safe method of ear cleaning.Bionix irrigation tips have three divergent streams, which safely direct water away from the eardrum. They move easily within the ear without damaging the inner ear, and are optimized to prevent over-insertion.

CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAMMES

The majority of hearing loss can be easily managed with the right access to hearing care and hearing aid treatment.

Unfortunately , many people put off treatment until hearing loss worsens and has already taken a toll on their health and well-being.

By integrating hearing health into wellness programs, employers can provide the push employees need to have their hearing checked regularly, so they can stay fully engaged and productive on and off the job.

Linora , the Hearing Aid Consultant at Vision Express Hearing is available to discuss starting an annual hearing wellness consultation program, for your business, as part of a “health and wellness at work program“