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Covid-19 hearing loss

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Researchers Look at Potential Link between Coronavirus and Hearing Loss

 

Researchers Look at Potential Link between Coronavirus and Hearing Loss

An article in The Conversation—a network of not-for-profit media outlets that publish news stories written by academics and researchers—provides a systematic review of the literature around COVID-19 and hearing loss.

The authors point out that coronaviruses, in some cases, can cause peripheral neuropathy, and, ”in theory..COVID-19 could cause auditory neuropathy, a hearing disorder where the cochlea is functioning but transmission along the auditory nerve to the brain is impaired.” Further, they say, auditory neuropathy has been linked with Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is associated with COVID-19.

There is no conclusive link between hearing loss and COVID-19 at this time, but the authors stress the need to continue researching and monitoring any potential outcome.

To read the entire article, please click here.

Source: The Conversation

Apple Takes Another Step Toward Hearing Aid Functionality

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Apple Takes Another Step Toward Hearing Aid Functionality

 

Apple Takes Another Step Toward Hearing Aid Functionality

On Monday, June 22, Apple introduced its latest operating system, iOS14, which includes —among many new features—a substantial move towards its AirPod Pros becoming a hearing-aid-like device. Almost buried as an afterthought at the bottom of Apple’s IOS New Features Preview are identical entries in the “Airpods” and “Accessibility” sections that say:

Headphone Accommodations

This new accessibility feature is designed to amplify soft sounds and adjust certain frequencies for an individual’s hearing, to help music, movies, phone calls, and podcasts sound more crisp and clear. Headphone Accommodations also supports Transparency mode on AirPods Pro, making quiet voices more audible and tuning the sounds of your environment to your hearing needs.

Hmmm…sounds a lot like a basic description of wide dynamic frequency compression (WDRC) or AGC, doesn’t it? Abram Bailey of Hearing Tracker, who broke the news yesterday, stated “This is the extremely exciting part, as it indicates that AirPods can now essentially be used to provide typical hearing aid functionality; applying personalised amplification to make it easier to hear those around you.” Bailey went on to show how the headphone accommodations use a custom audio setup with a listening test that generates an “audiogram” from the Apple Health app that “seems to indicate that the AirPods Pro will be capable of providing a very fine-tuned custom amplification experience, based on the audiogram (pitch-by-pitch hearing abilities) unique to the user.”

It should be acknowledged that Apple has for many years been developing hearing-aid-related features, including Live Listen for hearing aids and cochlear implants in 2014 (and later for AirPods and the Earpods), in addition to speech audiometry and speech-in-noise packages for developers, noise warning apps for its WatchOS, and more. The company sold more than 60 million Airpods in 2019, compared to about 15 million hearing aids worldwide for the entire hearing industry (4.2 million units in the US). Apple’s Wearables, Home and Accessories division had the most significant year-on-year growth for the company last year, with its sales increasing 41% thanks to the Airpod and Apple Watch, and the tech-giant owns an enviable 36.5% of the wearables market, according to CompareCamp. Mind you, this includes the “hearables” market that Nick Hunn predicted earlier this year will reach $80 billion a year by 2025.

As Paul Dybala, PhD, AuD, of AudiologyDesign points out in a recent LinkedIn post about Apple and its threat to the hearing industry, “If none of this impresses you, buy a pair of AirPod Pros and turn on the Active Noise Cancelling feature. Then change them over to Transparency Mode and listen further. Once you wipe your jaw off the floor, continue reading. Take your time, I’ll wait…” However, he then goes on to point out that hearing loss is widely viewed as a healthcare problem that should be addressed by a hearing healthcare professional, as shown in a 2017 survey by a study he did with colleague Brande Plotnick at Healthy Hearing.

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As a side-note, I’ve personally tried several of the products and hearing tests available in some of the better PSAPs. As one example, Alango Technology’s BeHear app did an impressive job of replicating an audiogram of my own mild sloping hearing loss and tailoring the sound to suit my preferences. The idea of an app doing this also reminded me of a September 2018 Hearing Review article by James Jerger, PhD, who—after describing three basic forms of automated audiometry—wrote:

“The most important issue is to catch up with the rest of the automated world…In spite of the many examples of successful automated systems summarised above, I suspect that there will be little further progress in the actual clinical use of automated audiometry of any variety until clinicians become part of the solution. It goes back to their initial educational experience. If the only procedure they learn as students is the manual Hughson-Westlake method on a conventional audiometer, it is unlikely that they will be easily diverted from that familiar path, sophisticated technology notwithstanding. PhD and AuD students—in addition to practicing clinicians—need to understand that automated audiometry can be carried out by less credentialed personnel, resulting in time and cost savings in a clinical setting. It is apparent this testing is moving into the digital/consumer realm [with the link going to Apple’s WDDC 2018 video that includes a demonstration of speech audiometry].

The point is professional hearing healthcare is so much more than automated tests and apps. As Dr Dybala notes in his article, it’s about assessing an often-complex medical problem and applying all of the tools available to tailor an individual solution that works for the patient in all kinds of listening situations, including (and especially) noise. However, as shown by Apple and others, the world of hearables with their automated testing and applied amplification should help millions of consumers make their first moves toward professional hearing care.

IHear Medical Launches Free @Home Hearing Test

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IHear Medical Launches Free @Home Hearing Test

   

IHear Medical Launches Free @Home Hearing Test

iHEAR Medical announced the launch of the Free @Home iHEARtest campaign, offering consumers the ability to test their hearing for free at home with the “only FDA approved home hearing screener.” The iHEARtest is said to “rapidly profile hearing ability based on guidelines by the World Health Organization (WHO).”

Honiton Hearing centre

“The Free @Home test addresses compromised hearing care during the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic,” said Adnan Shennib, Founder and CEO of iHEAR Medical.

The iHEARtest kit includes “factory calibrated earphones” to ensure accuracy of test results, according to the company. The Free @Home iHEARtest can be ordered online or by phone (1-844-443-2744, Toll-Free) for delivery directly to the customer’s home. Customers pay $9 to cover the cost of two-way shipping and handling, and have 30 days to take the iHEARtest and return it using the provided pre-paid return label and packaging.

Devon hearing shop

According to iHEAR Medical, the iHEARtest was approved by the FDA following years of clinical research demonstrating safety and accuracy. Additionally, clinical studies under the oversight of an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB) have shown the iHEARtest’s “ease of self-use, accuracy and 96.4% agreement with standard practice audiometry for the assessment of normal versus disabling hearing impairment.”

Source: iHEAR Medical

Oticon Launches Ruby Hearing Aid for a Budget

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Oticon Launches Ruby Hearing Aid for a Budget

     

Oticon Launches Ruby Hearing Aid

Honiton hearing stockist of Oticon hearing aids in Devon

For consumers returning to work and social activities in an uncertain economic climate, the newest addition to Oticon’s line of technology offers a combination of “sound quality, sought-after features, and affordability,” according to an announcement from the company.  The new Oticon Ruby “sets a new standard in the essential category, delivering great sound quality, hassle-free recharge-ability, and easy wireless connectivity in one complete solution—all within the reach of today’s budget-conscious patients.”

Powered by the Velox S platform, Oticon Ruby introduces the new SuperShield feedback management system that “helps prevent feedback before it occurs, so patients can enjoy hearing without interruptions from unwanted whistling and squealing.” For patients who want the convenience of rechargeable batteries, a new lithium-ion rechargeable option helps provide a full-day’s* charge in a few hours. Bluetooth connectivity helps enable patients to connect to smartphones and other modern devices to stream audio and music directly to their hearing aids.

“After experiencing this time of social distancing, consumers recognize the value of easy access to modern technologies to stay connected with family, friends, and business colleagues,” said Don Schum, PhD, Vice President of Audiology for Oticon, Inc.  “Phone calls, video chats, and other virtual connections have become their lifeline to the world. These connections are enhanced with better hearing. At the same time, despite the start of an economic recovery, some patients may be more careful about spending. Oticon Ruby allows practitioners to offer patients looking for sought-after features, like rechargeability and easy wireless connections, a quality solution at a more affordable price.”

Like all Oticon wireless hearing aids, Oticon Ruby is compatible with Oticon RemoteCare, a new telehealth solution that allows hearing care professionals to follow up online with patients to remotely adjust and fine-tune hearing aids in a virtual appointment. For select patients who have valid audiograms, first fit with Oticon RemoteCare allows hearing care professionals to fit new hearing aids remotely.

Complete Solution with All the Essentials

Oticon Ruby and all Oticon hearing aids use BrainHearing technology to “help support the brain in making sense of sound and enable patients to participate in challenging listening environments.” The Velox S platform powers the new SuperShield technology to analyse incoming sound levels, identify feedback, and prevent whistling before it occurs.

Oticon Ruby miniRITE R rechargeable hearing aids offer a full day* of power with an overnight charge. The charger helps provide a stable, reliable magnetic connection for charging that delivers power throughout the day, including streaming, with a three-hour charging time. A 30-minute recharge provides an additional six hours of power, according to Oticon.

With 2.4 GHz Bluetooth low-energy technology, Oticon Ruby helps deliver “easy wireless connectivity with low battery consumption to a wide range of devices such as smartphones, audio or music streams in stereo to both hearing aids from Bluetooth-connected mobile phones, MP3 players, PCs, and more.” Patients can pair Oticon Ruby with multiple TV Adapters and use the Oticon ON App to stream from any TV. The Oticon ON App also lets patients adjust volume, switch settings, check battery level, and access features such as Find My Hearing Aid and Oticon HearingFitness.

Oticon Ruby is available in a full lineup of styles, including miniRITE, miniRITE T (telecoil), miniRITE R (rechargeable), BTE and BTE Power Plus, and five popular colors. Oticon Ruby is compatible with Oticon CROS hearing aids.

For more information on Oticon Ruby visit: www.Oticon.com/Ruby.

*Lithium-ion performance varies depending on hearing loss, lifestyle, and streaming behavior.

Source: Oticon

Image: Oticon

Company Makes COVID-19 Masks for Hearing Impaired

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Thailand-based Company Makes COVID-19 Masks for Hearing Impaired

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Honiton hearing centre

An article in Voice of America News (VOA) profiles a Thai factory that is producing face masks for the hearing impaired to allow them to lip read.

The factory, run by Thailand’s Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, started making the masks with transparent “windows” to show the lips, about two weeks ago. According to VOA‘s report, “they had to adjust their original design because they found a person’s breath often clouded the window, a problem they fixed by reducing the size of the plastic opening.”

The masks are being marketed and sold through a Facebook page that is geared toward Thailand’s hearing-impaired and sign-language interpreter community

To read the story in its entirety, please click here.

Source: VOA

Honiton hearing receive face masks

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Honiton hearing receive face masks

 

Honiton hearing receive face masks today as a limited reopening is happening tomorrow the 4th of May. May the fourth be with you Colin said to Alistair Britchford who delivered them.

Alistair Britchford an Estate Agent based in Honiton and a member of the Honiton Round table, presents the much needed box of PPE masks (required for the clients treated at Honiton Hearing). Colin Eaton was impressed with the fast response of the Roiund table in his hour of need.

Honiton hearing face masks delivery

Colin Eaton (Right) accepts a box of PPE masks from Alistair Britchford.

 

Please call sam on reception to get full details of available days and appointments. Please also be aware we are taking Covid-19 very seriously and will be engaging strict social distancing and PPE protection.

 

We look forward to starting our hearing and ear wax service again, but please bare with us while we get back into our stride.

 

New guidelines for hearing impaired students

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New Guidelines Help Make Remote Learning More Accessible to Hearing Impaired Students

 

Honiton hearing

Several organisations have released guideline, resources, and tips to making remote learning more accessible to students with hearing and vision losses, an article in EdTech reports.

In particular, the article stresses the importance of making certain that captions for lectures are accurate; the accuracy rate of automatic captions can be as low as 80%, according to EdTech, with names and key terms commonly misspelled. Writing captions by hand can be a cumbersome process, and the authors recommend delegating the editing of automatic captions to a teacher’s aide or work-study student.

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

Source: EdTech

Moxi Jump R available in Devon

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Moxi Jump R available in Devon

 

Moxi Jump R available in Devon at the Honiton hearing centre.

 

Unitron Wins 2020 Red Dot Product Design Award for Moxi Jump R

 

Unitron Wins 2020 Red Dot Product Design Award for Moxi Jump R

Unitron, a Canadian hearing aid manufacturer, announced that it has won the “Red Dot: Product Design 2020” award for its Moxi Jump R hearing aids. The Moxi Jump R helps provide hearing aid wearers with “easy-to-use technology that automatically adapts to a user’s listening environment.”

The Red Dot Award, which dates to 1955, celebrates “excellence in product design.” This marks the sixth time Unitron has received the Red Dot Award for its inventive hearing instruments.

“To be recognized with this award from a pool of incredible designs is a tremendous honor,” says Sandra Fulton, Unitron Vice President of Global Marketing. “It clearly demonstrates our global leadership in hearing instrument design from the engineering and optimization of features and performance to the final product.”

Launched in 2019, the sound processing system in the Moxi Jump R uses machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, to “automatically recognize, classify, and adjust sounds based on the user’s listening environments.” This includes seven different listening environments that span quiet, conversation in quiet, conversation in noise, and music.

The Moxi Jump R also helps allow users to connect to Apple and Android devices and participate in hands-free phone calls, video calls, and media streaming to both ears. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides 24 hours of amplification, or 16 hours of amplification with 8 hours of media streaming.

“Our user-centric design philosophy is based on the premise that our technology should be easy-to-use and provide optimal sound performance to allow people overcoming hearing loss to reconnect with their lives, their loved ones, and everything in between,” said Banham. “The Moxi Jump R makes this possible, combining aesthetics, comfort, and intuitive functionality into one cutting-edge device.”

The Moxi Jump R can be controlled through the Remote Plus app, which allows hearing aid wearers to control volume, adjust balance, and share real-time impressions of their hearing instruments using their smartphones, according to the company. The app also helps enable clients to connect with their hearing care professionals via cloud technology. The Coach feature on the Remote Plus app sends users notifications for when to charge their batteries, clean their devices, usage details, and much more.

“As we shift to a more technologically-savvy consumer base, our products have to provide users with a range of functionality while optimizing sound performance and user experience. The Red Dot award is further recognition that Unitron is leading the way in the hearing health space,” said Banham.

The international Red Dot jury is made up of 40 independent design experts, educators, and industry journalists who review thousands of submissions annually from manufacturers and product designers around the world. Products are evaluated based on quality, performance, degree of innovation, and ecological compatibility.

Award winners will be celebrated at the annual Red Dot award gala, which takes place in the Aalto Theater in Essen, Germany.

Source: Unitron

Tinnitus therapy Devon

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Tinnitus Therapy Devon

 

Today we are looking at something a lot of people have to deal with on a daily and nightly basis. We are talking about Tinnitus.

Below is a link to the BBC News website which shows a musician living with Tinnitus and how he changed the way he dealt with it.

Here at Honiton hearing we can help you with Tinnitus, but only when the Covid19 is behind us and we are once again open.

Isle of Wight musician fights tinnitus with soundscapes

When musician Rupert Brown developed tinnitus aged 22 he thought his life was completely over.

However, by mixing the noise of his tinnitus with natural sounds and music to create a soundscape, he says he’s reduced the noise he hears.

He’s now helping others on the Isle of Wight where he lives.

Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a sound in the absence of any external sound. One in eight have persistent tinnitus, according to the British Tinnitus Association.

Devon Tinnitus therapy

Honiton Tinnitus therapy

You can see more on Rupert’s story on BBC Inside Out South on BBC iPlayer here.

Unitron Launches Discover Next Platform

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Unitron Launches Discover Next Platform

 

Unitron Launches Discover Next Platform

Unitron announced its newest platform, the Discover Next, that’s said to “help people get to the heart of conversations with superior speech understanding in any environment making even the softest-spoken people easier to understand.” What Unitron says is its “smallest lithium-ion RIC (receiver-in-the-canal),” Moxi Move R joins the product family with technology that “lasts all day and delivers easy connections to all kinds of favorite tech.”

Unitron’s launch of the Discover Next platform in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

“Our technology-rich solutions deliver better sound performance paired with comfortable products powered by proven lithium ion battery technology that keeps wearers doing more of what they love,” said Sandra Fulton, VP Group Marketing.

The number one need of hearing instrument wearers is to hear better in noisy environments.1 SoundCore, the signal processor inside Unitron hearing instruments, combines four technologies to help provide “a seamless, human-like listening experience that helps wearers hear conversations more clearly and comfortably in every environment.” Newer features within these technologies help to enhance the listening experience further, by helping wearers determine who is talking, location of voices, and subtle cues, like intonation and underlying emotion of words which help improve the overall understanding of meaning in speech, Unitron says.

Speech Understanding is Just the Beginning

“We are known for great sound performance that enables superior speech understanding. But conversations are more complex than that. To have truly meaningful interactions, you need more than words alone,” said Donald Hayes, Director of Clinical Research.

The Discover Next platform helps deliver speech and environmental cues that help “enable wearers to understand the deeper meaning of words, in both quiet and noisy environments.”

Soft speech lift helps boost subtle speech cues without increasing the overall level, “providing key information to get to the deeper meaning of quiet conversations.”

Spectral Speech is a new fourth dimension of Unitron’s binaural solution for noisy environments, SpeechPro. Now, in addition to automatically applying directionality and preserving localization cues, Spectral Speech helps “add further contrast between speech and noise to help clients better understand words and emotions in complex listening situations.”

Products and Accessories on the Discover Next Platform:

  • Moxi Move R – RIC with lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
  • Moxi Jump R (with telecoil option) – RIC with lithium-ion rechargeable battery.
  • Moxi Fit – RIC with 312 battery.
  • Stride P R – BTE (behind-the-ear) with lithium-ion rechargeable battery
  • Equalizer – A new feature on the Remote Plus app lets clients adjust bass, mid, and treble.
  • TV Connector – Watch favorite shows and movies in stereo sound by wirelessly connecting hearing instruments to the TV or other media devices.
  • Remote Control – An accessory to help discreetly adjust volume and switch programs.
  • PartnerMic – A lapel-worn mic with integrated AirStream technology streams clear speech.

1 Ozmeral, Hoover, Gabbidon, and Eddins (2018). Development of Continuous Number Identification Test (CNIT). Ear and Hearing. Submitted for publication.

Source: Unitron

Media: Unitron, YouTube