Audiologists at Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England, located in Springfield, Northampton, and Mary Lane Hospital, MA, know how to protect, preserve, evaluate, and treat hearing and balance issues in people's audiovestibular system.

The doctors in Springfield, Northampton, and Mary Lane Hospital are equipped with helping test tone audiometry, word recognition testing, tympanometry, acoustic reflex testing, otoacoustic emission testing, auditory evoked response testing and videonystagmography.

What to Know About Hearing Health:

Hearing loss becomes a prevalent issue as people age. If you're worried about hearing loss, here are some symptoms to look out for:

• If you notice a need to watch speaker’s lips
• Family & friends make comments about your hearing
• You're struggling to hear the telephone, TV, or radio
• You have trouble hearing in restaurants, meetings, parties, or place of worship, or think people are mumbling

If you find yourself suffering from the symptoms above, you will need a hearing test to evaluate the amount of hearing, which pitches are affected, and which parts of the auditory systems are affected.

How to Care for Your Hearing:

Overexposure to loud noise can lead to hearing loss. Small hair cells in the inner ear help us hear, but when damaged or destroyed, they can't regrow.

Other auditory issues need to be confronted head on by your audiologist to avoid long-term hearing problems in any part of your ear.

• Outer Ear Infection (Swimmer's Ear): This bacterial infection enflames the external ear and is contracted when your ear is exposed to water, sand or dirt. Symptoms include itching, redness, swelling, or pain that worsens if you pull on your ear or while chewing.
   
• Middle Ear Infection: The middle ear contracts viral or bacterial infections from other parts of your body, which may be airborne, or due to food allergies.
   
• Inner Ear (labyrinthitis): The inner ear is affected by other bodily infections. These infections may lead to dizziness, fever, nausea, vomiting, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

If you have any questions or concerns about hearing loss, then ask the audiologists at Ear Nose & Throat, Surgeons of Western New England, located in Springfield, Northampton, and Mary Lane Hospital, MA, today!