The Top Conditions an Audiologist Treats

With audiologists, they are qualified professionals that can help to diagnose, treat and prevent disorders that relate to hearing and balance. Whether it’s a problem with hearing, dizziness or communication, booking in to see an audiologist could definitely help with anything you are concerned about. There are many conditions that an audiologist can treat so here are some of the top ones that they help with.

Hearing loss

Our hearing is something that can be very vulnerable and not many of us will realize how well we have it until we start losing it. Whether that’s temporary hearing loss, gradual or permanent. People can lose their hearing for all types of reasons whether it’s something as natural as old age or having sudden exposure to extremely loud noises. It could be that you work in an environment where loud noises are the norm and there’s not enough protective equipment or you might go to lots of events with loud noises like music concerts. There’s also genetics that can have an impact on hearing loss and also medication that has side effects.

Audiologists can provide expert help and guidance on treating hearing loss with a hearing test. They can provide you with results and talk you through your options on whether that’s making changes to your lifestyle, getting hearing aids or hearing implants. Your audiologist will be able to guide you through what is best for your needs.

Balance 

Did you know that your balance is largely dictated by your inner ear? Who would have thought that this part of your body could affect your balance? Whether it’s dizziness or vertigo, these problems are something that can be solved by an audiologist. You’ll expect to have some tests run for you by the audiologist in order to find out what it is that is causing it and they’ll suggest ways to treat it. It’s important that you don’t allow those symptoms to persist, especially as they can get worse. Not only that but those types of symptoms could put you in a dangerous or vulnerable situation.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is one condition that is often misunderstood and many believe that you can only get this when you have hearing loss, to begin with. However, that’s not the case and tinnitus can end up affecting a lot of us in the world. It is usually described as a ringing in the ears but other sounds that are commonly heard are whooshing, whistling and roaring sounds. Treatment for tinnitus can be provided by audiologists in a number of ways. Medication can be a helpful way of treating it, therapy, white noise machines and hearing aids. Hearing aids are good for amplifying sound and for many of those with tinnitus, they find hearing aids help drown it’s sound out. 

Excess earwax

Earwax is important for your ears to have even though many of us are doing all we can to remove it from time to time. Earwax keeps your ears clean, keeps them free from infections and in good condition. However, there are times where your ears might be a little too over-productive in the earwax domain and therefore blockages can form. Those blockages can then harden and they become more difficult to get out. With that being said, you will likely need a bit of assistance an audiologist can help with that. It’s very important not to try this yourself with cotton buds as that’s only going to risk damaging your ears. Your audiologist will be able to use suction or irrigation to get the excess wax out. 

Sensitivity to noise

Noise sensitivity is certainly something that can impact many people, such as conditions like hyperacusis, which is a condition of how you perceive sound. Increased sensitivity to sound can be like having sensitive teeth. They’re going to cause you problems and, in many ways, they can be debilitating. Whether it’s a range of small sounds or specific noises, it’s important to seek the attention of your audiologist for any noise sensitivity conditions. They’ll be able to suggest the best and most effective ways to deal with these conditions or to help manage them better. You shouldn’t have to live with something that could get fixed or at least give you a better quality of living.

If you’re experiencing any of these conditions or need some advice on what to do next, you can learn more about Alexander Audiology. Call us today at Santa Monica: 424-738-3778 and Solvang: 805-322-4522.