Hearing Loss
Hearing plays a central role in human communication. A disturbance in this function can be very stressful. When conversations can no longer be understood properly or making phone calls becomes difficult, quality of life is impaired – which is usually completely unnecessary.
We offer a range of diagnostic options to examine the complex system of the inner ear, auditory nerve, central transmission and perception:
• Tone audiogram (hearing test with tones of different frequencies)
• Tinnitus assessment
• Speech audiogram (hearing test with numbers and words)
• Frequency and volume assessment of tinnitus
• Impedance and reflex hearing test
• BERA (testing of the auditory nerves)
• Hearing aid testing
• Computer-assisted balance testing (electronystagmography or brainstem audiometry)
The test results will determine the right therapy for you.
Tinnitus
Millions of Germans suffer from tinnitus (Latin: ringing). With a few exceptions, these noises in the ear are not audible to others. From a medical point of view, tinnitus is considered a symptom (not a disease in itself). It can occur in many different sounds and volumes and have just as many causes. It is therefore quite normal for patients to be affected very differently in their daily lives.
Causes related to the ear can include:
• Inflammation of the ear canal or middle ear
• Impaired sound transmission (e.g. otosclerosis)
• Sudden hearing loss
• Ménière's disease (a disorder of the inner ear that usually causes recurrent episodes of vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus)
• Acoustic neuroma (benign tumour of the auditory nerve)
Causes outside the ear may lie in the jaw joints or cervical spine. Noise or blast trauma can also lead to tinnitus.
