ABOUT ME &
HEARING HEALTH
DUANE WASS
I am a hearing aid user myself. I have worn hearing aids since age 4 due to a severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. I understand the importance of sound quality. My family is so important to me. I don't want to miss a moment. I will always ensure you are hearing at your best. I have been practicing since 1982. I am Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. I have taken extra measures to demonstrate my commitment to your hearing health by meeting specific continuing education requirements. Abiding by the NBC-HIS code of ethics and NCCA guidelines, I operate at the highest level of competency set at international standards. Let my experience guide you towards better hearing health.
HEARING HEALTH
The hearing process is more than simply listening to sounds. It begins with the outer ear, or pinna. The pinna collects frequencies that are specific to human speech and helps funnel that sound into the ear canal. That canal directs the sound waves to the tympanic membrane, or ear drum. This vibrating piece of skin moves 3 tiny bones that amplify sound to be sent to the cochlea, or inner ear. The inner ear is filled with fluid and is responsible for initiating a message to the brain where we can hear and understand what we are listening to.
WHY GET TESTED?
Hearing is a major sensory modality we humans use to make sense of our world. In fact, large areas of the brain are dedicated to interpreting different sounds. For example, the brain recognizes if there is a loud dangerous sound present, and where the sound might be located. The brain also determines the familiarity of a sound - such as your ability to recognize and understand your grandchildren's voices. Without proper hearing sensitivity, some of these important characteristics of sound may be lost and may not get sent to the brain. This lack of stimulation has been shown in recent research to contribute to cognitive disorders of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Having your hearing checked regularly can help with the early detection of hearing loss, and more importantly, early intervention to help reduce the likelihood of negative brain-related changes.
DO I NEED HEARING AIDS?
Hearing aids are so much more than amplifiers. Many years of scientific research have gone into the development of medical devices that assist the human hearing system. It is important to note that many hearing losses are permanent in nature; meaning, they will not get better on their own. While hearing aids do not repair the hearing system, they do provide sound to the user that would otherwise be missed. Many people with a hearing loss often describe the feeling as being able to hear but not able to understand what others are saying, especially in background noise. This very common characteristic of hearing loss is one of the areas where hearing aids can make a positive impact on quality of life. Hearing aid technology has advanced to improving the signal-to-noise ratio in various environments so that the user can not only hear necessary sounds, but understand them clearly.