Hearing with Both Ears
Basic Rule: If you have hearing loss in both ears, then you should have a hearing aid in each ear.
We were meant to hear with both of our ears. Our brain actually relies on sound input from each ear in order to generate a complete picture of our sound environment. (i.e., to hear properly). If you are not sure about this, try plugging up one ear in various listening environment and see for yourself.
Research has found the following to be benefits of hearing with both ears:
- There is an increase in the overall loudness of sound – thus you don’t have to strain as hard to hear what is being said
- The ability to understand speech in the presence of background noise is improved
- At least one ear is always favourably situated no matter where the sound or speech is coming from
- The ability to determine the location of a sound source in space is significantly better
- The quality and richness of sound is improved
Most people with hearing difficulties have hearing loss in both ears. Therefore, binaural hearing aids are appropriate for most. It is only for a select few individuals that two hearing aids are not best. These situations include:
- Hearing loss only in one ear
- Hearing loss so severe in one ear that a hearing aid would be of no benefit
- Some medical condition which prevents one ear from being aided
Hearing with both ears will help you to hear the best of your potential. In order to determine if you could benefit from two hearing aids, contact us to make and appointment for a hearing evaluation.
