Hearing loss can be a normal process that occurs with aging but can also occur after exposure to occupational or recreational noise exposure or after exposure to certain medications. In addition, there are certain medical conditions that can cause both slowly progressive hearing loss as well as rapid-onset of hearing loss. If you are suffering from hearing loss or think you might be, it is important to have a comprehensive hearing test performed by a licensed Audiologist and, when indicated, evaluated by an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician. At Scottsdale Hearing Center, both of these services are provided in one convenient location on your first visit. After your hearing test and ear evaluation, you will meet again with our audiologist to discuss which hearing aid option might be best for you. We offer the ability to demo a pair of hearing aids prior to purchase to ensure that your hearing aid is a good fit for you.
Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the absence of vibration of the inner ear. Tinnitus may occur in the context of hearing loss, or it may occur with normal hearing. It may indicate damage to the inner ear from excessive noise exposure or be caused by certain medications, but it may also occur in the absence of any known risk factors. If you are experiencing tinnitus, it is important to have your hearing tested and to have a medical evaluation of your ears. The management of tinnitus involves identifying and treating any potentially causative factors of the tinnitus, as well as a combination of strategies, including tinnitus suppression, to make the perception of tinnitus less bothersome. If you have both hearing loss and tinnitus, then the use of a hearing aid with a tinnitus suppression feature may help treat your hearing loss as well as your tinnitus. At the Scottsdale Hearing Center, our doctors will work closely with you to identify any potentially reversible causes of your tinnitus and to develop a management strategy for the tinnitus.
Ear wax, or cerumen, is produced by glands that line the skin of the ear canal and serves an important physiologic function in protecting the skin of the ear canal. Sometimes, ear wax can become excessive and cause conductive hearing loss. It is never advisable to attempt to remove ear wax at home with instruments such as Q-tips, ear candles, or picks. If you think you may be suffering from bothersome ear wax, the doctors at the Scottsdale Hearing Center can evaluate your ear, and if indicated, remove the ear wax using microscopic, non-traumatic techniques (we do not flush your ears with water) and check your hearing to ensure that there is not another cause of hearing loss.
Fluid in the ear, or middle ear effusion, develops when fluid forms behind the ear drum. This may occur during an ear infection and persist even after the infection is treated, or it may occur after a bad upper respiratory infection that causes blockage in the eustachian tube that ventilates the ear. Rarely, a blockage or mass at the back of the nose may result in fluid behind the ear drum. If you are suffering from fluid in the ear or if you think that you may be suffering from this condition, the doctors at Scottsdale Hearing Center can evaluate you with a hearing test and a microscope exam of the ear to confirm whether you do have fluid in the ear, and they can treat this condition with both medical treatments or a quick, in-office procedure.
