How to Care for Your Hearing Aid Batteries
Some modern hearing aids now have built-in rechargeable batteries, but many still rely on disposable button batteries. If you have the second type, it’s important to know how to care for and store them, as these batteries contain heavy metals that can be very dangerous if not properly handled. Follow our tips below. How Can…
How to Pick the Best Hearing Aid
Each hearing aid manufacturer produces a full line of hearing aids available in a wide variety of styles. Determining which one is best for you can be challenging, so your audiologist takes a number of factors into consideration when making their recommendation. Type and Degree of Hearing Loss Not everyone with hearing loss can benefit…
Are Tinnitus Supplements Harmful or Helpful?
Even though tinnitus is a common symptom, affecting as many as 60 million Americans, there is still a general lack of information among patients and providers. This has led to an increase in misinformation and claims from products such as over-the-counter supplements and eardrops as ways to finally find relief. In an interview with Dr….
Surfer’s Ear
Those with frequent exposure to cold water – most commonly surfers and swimmers – often suffer from reactive exostosis, an inflammation of the bone in the ear canal that leads to the formation of new bone growth. Known medically as exostosis but referred to informally as surfer’s ear, this condition causes bone to thicken, leading…
How Loud Is Too Loud?
We’ve all heard that loud noises can cause hearing loss, but figuring out which sounds in particular can be dangerous to your hearing can be complicated. Below is a breakdown of how you can determine what sounds are too loud and put you at risk of hearing loss. How Sounds Can Damage Your Ears…
We’re Partnering with Lions to Help Low-Income Families Get Hearing Aids
Hearing Services of Santa Barbara is proud to announce a partnership with the Lions Club Sight and Hearing Foundation to help recycle hearing aids, which helps make essential hearing technology available to hard-of-hearing individuals from low-income families. Around 278 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears, according to the World…
Are Smokers at a Greater Risk of Hearing Loss?
Smoking cigarettes has long been linked with a number of health conditions. Researchers were interested in whether this negative association would also be seen in those who have since given up the habit. Their findings are discussed below. Cigarette Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Risk of Hearing Loss The study by this name was published in…
Combining Pediatric Hearing Loss with Playtime to Test Hearing
At Hearing Services of Santa Barbara, we treat patients of all ages and use special tools to help meet the needs of even our youngest patients. We have a special system that uses VRA (Visual Reinforcement Audiometry) toys to allow us to get accurate behavioral hearing tests on children who aren’t old enough to respond in…
Do You Need Hearing Aids for Both Ears?
If you’ve been diagnosed with hearing loss recently and been prescribed binaural hearing aids (for both ears), you probably have some questions. The first one likely is “Do I really need to wear two hearing aids?” There are many advantages to wearing two hearing aids instead of one, which are overviewed below. When Are Two…
Wearing Masks: Guidelines for Adult and Pediatric Patients
To make sure you stay safe during your visit, here are some tips and tricks in order to make sure you or your child wears a mask the proper way. Ways to wear masks for adults Tie-on masks • Make sure to tie the straps high up on the head and low on the neck….
