[Tallulah]

I wanted to know if any of you suffer from any kind of hearing loss, what caused it, and how you deal with it.
 
My case:
Two months ago I realized that my hearing was unbalanced, I don't know since when, maybe since I was born. I tried to balance the stereo imaging by changing the operating system levels balance. Lowering the volume 5.8 dB in the left channel compensated the pressure feeling, but even this way the sound feels less detailed and clear in my right ear. I still find it hard to localize the sounds and to separate the instruments. I also have problems understanding what people say when I'm at a noisy environment. I don't know if there's any kind of fix for this. The last time I went to a specialist he told me that my ears are ok, and I only have a small difference in the eardrum's elasticity. My right ear is a little more elastic, but he told me that this shouldn't be perceptible. I suppose I'll have to live with it, and feel fortunate to not have a major problem.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tallulah /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I wanted to know if any of you suffer from any kind of hearing loss, what caused it, and how you deal with it.

 

My case:

Two months ago I realized that my hearing was unbalanced, I don't know since when, maybe since I was born. I tried to balance the stereo imaging by changing the operating system levels balance. Lowering the volume 5.8 dB in the left channel compensated the pressure feeling, but even this way the sound feels less detailed and clear in my right ear. I still find it hard to localize the sounds and to separate the instruments. I also have problems understanding what people say when I'm at a noisy environment. I don't know if there's any kind of fix for this. The last time I went to a specialist he told me that my ears are ok, and I only have a small difference in the eardrum's elasticity. My right ear is a little more elastic, but he told me that this shouldn't be perceptible. I suppose I'll have to live with it, and feel fortunate to not have a major problem.

 

My friend's cousin has non-linear hearing loss also. His midrange hearing in both ears is so bad that unless he's facing the source of one's voice directly, he will not be able to understand what you're saying. This means if he's driving he can't talk to anyone else unless he's on a headset talking via phone; if he's listening at a conference, he has to face the speaker (as in the PA system), not the speaker (as in the guy on the podium) nor the presentation screen. 

 

His doctor prescribed him a corrective hearing aid - his ear response is measured and then the hearing aid applies a corrective EQ profile to incoming sound so what enters his ears basically comes out to a balanced signal. The problem: given the level of customization of active electronics, comparing this to eye correction doesn't match corrective lenses but more like lasik.

 

Of course, his private insurance doesn't cover it beyond 20%, and he isn't really an audio enthusiast, so he couldn't be bothered to cough up his own cash. I suggest you check with your ENT as well as your insurance and see if they can cover at least some of the cost.