Has your hearing loss started to impact your life? At Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England in Northampton, Ware, and Springfield, MA, our seven otolaryngologists and four audiologists can tell you when hearing aids would help. Hearing instruments and communication strategies improve the quality of life for all kinds of hearing loss.

Your hearing loss

Both you and your family, friends and co-workers notice it. Frankly, at the end of the day, you're feeling fatigued from struggling to understand the conversation, hear instructions or understand a TV program.

Typically, these are the signs that you should consider a complete hearing evaluation at Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England:

1. You constantly ask people to repeat themselves--particularly young children and people with higher-pitched, softer voices.
2. You cannot differentiate between some consonant sounds such as f, s, th, and sh.
3. Noisy environments, such as a restaurant or check-out line at the store, are challenging. You can hear people speak, but you cannot understand what they are saying.
4. You understand conversation better if you can see people's faces and lips.
5. Your TV volume is very loud.
6. You have trouble hearing on the phone.
7. Your hearing evaluation at Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England shows deficiencies in several frequencies, or pitches, of hearing.

Additionally, hearing experts at the Cleveland Clinic say that family members and friends often realize a loved one has a hearing loss before that person does. They observe him or her misunderstand words or sentences. Unfortunately, hearing difficulties can impact interpersonal relationships as both parties withdraw from social interactions and even ordinary conversations.

It's no shame

A hearing loss is not a sign of weakness. It can be a sign of disease or aging, but even these are not always the case. Your audiologist at Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England will discuss your symptoms of hearing loss with you and perform a complete audiological exam. Plus, if you need hearing aids, our experts can fit you with the latest Northeast Hearing Instruments and tune them to your specific loss.

Get back in the game

When you improve your hearing with hearing aids from Ear, Nose & Throat Surgeons of Western New England, you'll enjoy a fuller life. Call for an evaluation. In Springfield, phone (413) 732-7426. In Northhampton, call (413) 586-2033, and for the Mary Lane Hospital location, call (413) 967-2249.