……………………..CONSTANTLY ADDED-TO…………………..
WHAT DO ALL THOSE STRANGE WORDS MEAN?
ACOUSTIC FEEDBACK…….See Feedback
ACOUSTIC NEUROMA…………a non-malignant (non-cancerous) growth on the eighth nerve which can cause problems within the skull area
ACOUSTICS……..study of the science of sound
ACOUSTIC TRAUMA………..generally-permanent noise damage caused to ear mechanism and/or inner ear, by sudden loud noises
ADAPTATION……reduction in the sensation level of a sound, over time
AIR-BONE GAP……the difference in hearing level between sounds heard via an ear-canal, and those heard through the skull
AMBIENT NOISE……….surrounding or background noise
ATRESIA……………….absence of an opening, specifically no ear canal
AUDIOGRAM…………graph showing hearing levels obtained from audiometry
AUDIOMETRY………the scientific measurement of hearing using an audiometer
AURICLE………another word for Pinna, the bit of the ear we can normally see.
AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL………control by the hearing aid, of loud noises, to avoid discomfort and minimise distortion of the signal. Same as COMPRESSION
BILATERAL………..referring to both sides
BINAURAL……….use of two ears or aids, to provide help in locating the sound direction. 3dB and maybe more is gained in hearing threshold with summation
CERUMEN.…………..another name for wax
COCHLEAR IMPLANT…………electronic device implanted in the skull and connected by wires to the inner ear. Provides a limited, but very useful input.
CONGENITAL PROBLEM………present at birth
DIGITAL HEARING AID………..the electrical signal generated in the Microphone is converted to digital values for modification before being converted back to an electrical signal and then passed to the Receiver (or small loudspeaker) and then to the ear
DIRECTIONAL MICROPHONE………one that is more responsive to sounds from one direction (generally the front). It can be sometimes changed from directional to omni-directional (hears sounds from everywhere equally)
DISTORTION……….any unwanted sounds present at the output of a hearing aid which are not present at the input
DYNAMIC RANGE……….the difference in dB between the minimum level you can just hear, and the level of sound which is uncomfortable, measured across the frequency range.
EAR……………..the complete mechanism for the organ of hearing
EAR CANAL……….the tube which leads from the Pinna to the Eardrum (also called the Tympanic Membrane) ….appriximately 25mm long
EXOSTOSES.………excessive bony growths in the ear canal, due to frequent exposure to cold, including swimming
FEEDBACK………..when sound ‘escapes’ from a Receiver, and is picked -up by the Microphone, it gets louder until it produces a whistle.
GROMMET………when a middle-ear is infected, it can cause pressure on the eardrum, which can be quite painful. It is sometimes necessary to surgically cut the eardrum, to allow any pus to escape. To keep the aperture open, the surgeon may decide to insert a ‘grommet’ in the cut. This allows drainage to continue and aeration to improve the condition. It will eventually dislodge as the eardrum repairs itself, and will fall out of the ear.
HEARING-AID AUDIOLOGY……..testing hearing f or loss and any other potential and/or asociated problems, supply and fitting of a suitable hearing aid system, along with ensuring, through a series of follow-up appointments, that all aspects of the use of the aids have been explained to the patient.
HYPACUSIS……another word for loss of hearing
IDIOPATHIC………..cause unknown
INDUCTION COIL………. picks up electromagnetic signals from a loop amplifier, (or often in a telephone handset) and is activated in a hearing aid by the ‘T’ switch
INTELLIGIBILITY………the understanding of speech often measured in percentage of words understood
LABYRINTHITIS…………….inflamation or infection in the Labyrinth, the balance mechanism of the ear
LOUDSPEAKER.………apparatus which converts an electrical signal into sound. In a hearing aid, it is called a Receiver
MASKER…………any equipment (often built-into a hearing-aid-shaped instrument) which produces a constant noise (often a hiss) to help in the management of tinnitus
MAXIMUM POWER OUTPUT…….the greatest amount of sound intensity a hearing-aid can produce under any circumstances. It should be below the level of the Uncomfortable Level for the patient
MENIERE’S DISORDER……………..(Technically called Idiopathic episodic endolymphatic hydrops!), it is more easily-described as a syndrome or disorder in which there is a fluctuating inner-ear hearing loss, vertigo and tinnitus, due to excessive fluid pressure in the inner ear
MIXED LOSS…….a hearing loss which is a combination of Conductive and Sensorineural loss.
MONAURAL……..one ear, or a single-aid fitting
MYRINGOPLASTY…………..surgery to repair a perforated eardrum (tympanic membrane)
MYRINGOTOMY………..surgical cutting of the tympanic membrane, to allow infected liquid to escape, and perhaps insert a grommet
NEUROMA………cancerous tumour
NON-ORGANIC……has no physical source…….may be psychological or fake
OCCLUDED………………closed
OCCLUSION EFFECT………an apparent improvement in hearing by bone-conduction, when the ear canal is occluded (closed over), eg by a hearing aid or mould with no vent
OMNI-DIRECTIONAL…………….accepts sounds equally from all directions
OTALGIA………earache
OTITIS………..inflamation of the ear
OTITIS MEDIA……….inflamation of the middle ear…can be very painful due to pressure on the eardrum by the infected liquid in the middle ear.
OTOSCLEROSIS………bony growth disorder affecting the stirrup bone (stapes), causing a conductive hearing loss
OTOTOXIC……………..potentially poisonous to the ear
PHONETIC BALANCE………….having the same distribution of speech sounds as a random selection of everyday conversational English
PINNA………….the ‘outside’ part of the ear which can be easily seen, and ‘focuses’ sound down the ear canal….the other name is Auricle
POSTAURICULAR……….behind the ear
POSTLINGUAL……..after the acquisition of speech
PRELINGUAL………..before the acquisition of speech
PRESBYACUSIS………loss of hearing with old age
RECEIVER………the loudspeaker of a hearing aid, usually built-into the aid, but in some models it is located at the end of a thin tube, in the ear canal
RECRUITMENT…………….a condition where ‘normal’ sounds appear abnormally loud
REHABILITATION……….therapy to help restore normal functioning
RESIDUAL HEARING……….the Dynamic Range (q.v.) available to the impaired person.
RUBELLA…………..German Measles
SIBILANT………………high frequency consonant of a hissing nature such as sh- oe or who
SPEECH RECEPTION THRESHOLD……….the faintest level at which a person can identify 50% in a speech test
STAPEDECTOMY………..surgical removal of the stapes (stirrup) bome and replacement with a prosthesis
STENOSIS………………narrowing of the ear canal
TINNITUS………..noises in the ear or head with no external source. They may be temporary after (say) a noisy concert. However if they are there after a few days, we suggest you call with your GP. The reasons why they appear are many and a history will usually be taken to try to establish why it appeared and what can be done about it. You may be referred to a Consultant to carry our further investigations.
TRANSDUCER…………………a device to change one form of energy to another….e,g a microphone changes sound energy into electrical energy
TYMPANIC MEMBRANE…………also called the Eardrum, it is at the end of the Ear Canal, and receives the vibrations in the air, and when it vibrates, transfers the energy to the inner-ear via three bones, to the inner ear, where they are translated into sound.
UNCOMFORTABLE LISTENING LEVEL…………..the level at any frequency which is considered to be uncomfortable by the listener. Hearing aid maximum outputs should be set below this level.
UNILATERAL……..referring to one side only
VENT………………a hole drilled through an earmould to release pressure or reduce unwanted low frequency sounds
VERTIGO……………disturbance of the balance mechanism
WAX………………….a liquid produced in the ear canal by ceruminous glands. It traps dead skin-scales, dust, etc and hence protects the tympanic membrane. It usually moves along with the epithelium movement and falls out of the ear. However, it may gather, and build-up, harden and eventually block the ear canal, after which it may need to be softened and removed.
WHITE NOISE……….broadband noise in which each frequency is presented at he same intensity
