Comprehensive Hearing Test

Hearing loss is the third leading health concern among Americans. Hearing loss can be sudden or gradual and may affect children and adults. The degree of hearing loss can also range from mild to profound and affect different areas of the ear. Hearing loss, depending on the cause, may be temporary or permanent.

If you believe you may have hearing loss, schedule a comprehensive hearing test with our audiologists today. View 10 Signs You May Have Hearing Loss.

Newborn Hearing Assessment – (DPOAE & ABR)

Children require hearing in order to acquire proper speech and language skills. With hearing loss, children are at risk of not developing proper speech and language abilities. The sooner hearing loss is identified, proper amplification can be fit and the child will then have access to speech and language.

Our audiologists can test infants within the first few days of life following a referred hearing test after birth.

Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) testing assesses the cochlea’s function. This simple test can be done with the child awake or asleep. It allows us to determine what frequencies the child can hear.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing assesses the threshold of hearing at the brainstem and the integrity of the hearing nerve. This test can be performed while the child is asleep or under sedation.

We gladly test children who require hearing assessments for school.

Neurodiagnostic – (ABR & ECochG)

During the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test, insert earphones are placed in the ears and electrodes are placed on the head and behind each ear. Sound is emitted through the earphones while the electrodes measure how your child’s brain responds to the sound. ECochG varies slightly from ABR in that the recording electrode is placed very close to the cochlea and assesses the cochlea only.

Dizziness Evaluation – (VNG & VEMP)

Dizziness, vertigo, and motion sickness all relate to the sense of balance and equilibrium. Your sense of balance is maintained by a complex interaction of many parts of the nervous system including your inner ears, eyes, and central nervous system. We may use a Video Electronystagmography (VNG) or a Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) test to arrive at a diagnosis depending on your symptoms.

Central Auditory Processing – (CAPD)

CAPD refers to how our central nervous system or our brain uses and interprets auditory information.This testing is for children ages 6 to 13.

Hearing Aids

Georgia Hearing Institute has doctoral level audiologists providing the most up-to-date hearing aid technology available to our patients. Our audiologists complete a comprehensive audiologic evaluation and a lifestyle assessment to determine the most appropriate hearing aid for you.

We offer traditional hearing aids from several different manufacturers as well as the extended wear hearing aid, The Lyric. Our hearing aid styles include very small in-the-ear hearing aids, receiver in the ear hearing aids, and behind-the-ear hearing aids.

Products

• Phonak
• Oticon
• ReSound
• Lyric

Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant is comprised of an external and internal device. The external sound processor captures sound and transmits it across the skin to the internal device which converts the sound to an electrical signal. This signal is sent to the electrodes that reside in the cochlea. These electrical signals stimulate the hearing nerve and transmit the signal to the brain where it is perceived as sound.

Cochlear implants are recommended for both children 12 months and older and adults who do not benefit from hearing aids and have severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss and poor understanding abilities.

Products

• Cochlear

Bone Anchor Hearing Aids

Bone anchor hearing aids capitalize on the type of hearing that is made possible by vibrations in the bone (bone conduction) as opposed to air conduction that utilizes the outer and middle ear. For people who struggle to hear even with the help of a traditional hearing aid, bone anchor hearing aids could be the solution. Bone anchored hearing aids (Baha or Ponto) are recommended for patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss or single sided hearing loss.

Products

• Oticon Medical
• Cochlear Baha

Assistive Listening Devices

Assistive listening devices may be used individually or in addition to your hearing aids. These devices improve your signal to noise ratio in order to improve your ability to hear during challenging listening situations. Assistive listening devices are available to help understanding over the telephone, watching television, FM systems for understanding at a distance in a noisy environment, remote microphones to listen at a distance, and more.

Swim Molds

Swim molds can prevent water from entering the ear by sealing the entrance to the ear canal. Keeping you or your child’s ears dry is an important step in preventing ear infections and possible hearing loss in the future.

Products

• Westone

Hearing Protection

Hearing protection is critical for those who spend time in noisy environments either for recreation (hunting, power tools, etc.) or occupation (construction or industrial workplaces). Our hearing protection products exceed the standard given by the OSHA for minimum sound attenuation (sound reduction).

Products

• Westone

Musician Plugs

To protect their ears while being exposed to different levels of sound for hours on end, many musicians wear musician plugs. These plugs utilize flat noise attenuation to protect but still allow them to hear accurately. There are different levels of protection based on the amount of attenuation and the type of instrument the musician plays.

Products

• Westone