A Story About the Ear Ms. Maclin, Mrs. Trimble & Mrs. Jameson

How Sound Travels

First, sound is collected by the pinna (the visible part of the outer ear)

Then, it is directed into the outer ear canal Next, sound makes the eardrum vibrate Now, the vibration causes three tiny bones in the inner

ear to vibrate

Hammer Anvil Stirrup

Vibration of the eardrum

How Sound Travels

Finally, the vibration is transferred to the snail-shaped cochlea in the inner ear

The cochlea is lined with sensitive hair cells (cilia)

The hair cells (cilia) trigger the generation of nerve signals that are sent to the brain

Anatomy of the Earo Outer Ear

• Pinna• Ear Canal• Outer layer of the eardum

o Middle Ear• Hammer• Anvil• Stirrup• Eustachian Tube

o Inner Ear• Cochlea• Nerves• Semicircular Canals

Outer Ear

Pinna- the visible part of the outer ear. It collects sound and directs it into the outer ear canal.

Ear Canal- the tube through which sound travels to the eardrum

Outer layer of eardrum- (tympanic membrane) vibrates when sound waves reach it

Middle Ear

Hammer (Malleus)- a tiny bone that passes vibrations Anvil (Incus)- a tiny bone that passes vibrations from

the hammer to the stirrup Stirrup (Stapes)- a tiny, U-shaped bone that passes

vibrations from the stirrup to the cochlea. This is the smallest bone in the human body. (.25 to .33 cm long)

Eustachian tube- a tube that connects the middle ear to the back of the nose; it equalizes the pressure between the middle ear and the air outside.

Inner Ear

Cochlea- a spiral-shaped, fluid-filled inner ear structure; it is lined with cilia (tiny hairs) that move when vibrated and cause a nerve impulse to form.

Nerves- these carry electro-chemical signals from the inner ear (the cochlea) to the brain.

Semicircular Canals- Fluid filled tubes attached to the cochlea that help us maintain our sense of balance.

Stirrup

Anvil

HammerPinna

Semicircular Canals

Nerves

Eustachian Tube

Eardrum

Outer Ear Canal

Cochlea

Hearing Loss

• There are three kinds of hearing loss:–Sensorineural–Conductive–Mixed hearing loss

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Also known as nerve deafness

• the inner ear or actual hearing nerve itself is damaged

• About 90% of all people with hearing impairments suffer from sensorineural hearing loss

• Most common

Conductive Hearing Loss

• outer and/or middle part of the ear fail to work properly

• Sounds become "blocked" and are not carried all the way to the inner ear (where hearing is still normal)

• Not permanent; temporary hearing loss

Mixed Hearing Loss

• A combination of a conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

• Both the middle and inner ear are involved

Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss

• a buildup of fluid in the middle ear

• wax in the ear canal

• puncturing of the eardrum

• problems or injury to the bones or membrane — which carry sound from the external ear through the middle ear to the inner ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• Usually permanent

• not medically or surgically treatable

• In most cases, the cilia or the nerves from the inner ear to the brain are irreparably damaged.

• wearing hearing aids may be of significant benefit

Causes of Sensorineural Hearing Loss

• the natural aging process

• exposure to loud noises

• infection or other disease

• a genetic disorder

• Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is usually associated with sensorineural hearing loss

Causes of a Mixed Hearing Loss

• This hearing disorder can also occur when a person first just has a permanent sensorineural hearing loss and then also develops a conductive hearing loss.

• For example, a person who already has a sensorineural loss gets a middle ear infection, and the two types of loss combine to create a greater hearing loss.

• Some other instances of mixed hearing loss are the result of the outer and inner ear being malformed, which causes both types of hearing loss

Treatment

• Conductive hearing loss can be easier to remedy than sensorineural or mixed hearing loss.

• It is usually treatable with either medical or surgical intervention

• In cases where medical/surgical intervention is not an option, a hearing aid can be very helpful.

Treatment

• Sensorineural hearing loss is usually permanent

• no medically or surgically treatable. In most cases, the nerves from the inner ear to the brain are irreparably damaged.

• However, most people with this hearing loss find wearing hearing aids to be of significant benefit

Treatment for Mixed Hearing Loss

• With mixed hearing loss, the conductive part may be treated, but the sensorineural part is usually permanent.

Levels of Hearing Loss

• Bilateral- both ears are impaired

• Unilateral- one ear is impaired

Normal Hearing

• Normal hearing has a test result of

• -10 – 25 decibles.

• You will learn how hearing is tested more clearly later.

Mild Hearing Loss

• A mild hearing loss is 26-40 dB.• It may cause you to miss 25-40% of the speech signal. • (Usually this results in problems with clarity since the

brain is receiving some sounds but not all of the information. Symptoms of mild hearing loss include problems understanding someone farther away than a normal distance for conversation, or even up close if the background environment is noisy. Weak voices are also difficult to understand for people with mild hearing losses.)

• copy only what is in bold above. The rest just read and understand.

Moderate Hearing Loss

• A moderate hearing loss is at 41-55 dB. It may cause you to miss 50-75% of the speech signal.

• (This means you would not have problems hearing at short distances and understanding people face-to-face, but you would have problems if distance or visual cues changed. Symptoms of moderate hearing loss include problems hearing normal conversations and problems hearing consonants in words)

Moderately Severe Hearing Loss

• Moderately Severe is tested at 56-70 dB.

• From this level on, you would be a great canidate for a cochlear implant. Hearing aids would help as well.

• One would miss an average of 60 % or higher of all speech sounds.

Severe Hearing Loss

• People with severe hearing loss have difficulty hearing in all situations. Speech may be heard only if the speaker is talking loudly or at close range. A severe hearing loss may sometimes cause you to miss up to 100% of the speech signal. It is tested at 71-90 dB.

• Symptoms of severe hearing loss include inability to have conversations except under the most ideal circumstances (i.e., face-to-face, in quiet, and accompanied with speechreading).

Profound Hearing Loss• Profound hearing loss is the most

extreme hearing loss. A profound hearing loss means that you may not hear loud speech or any speech at all. You are forced to rely on visual cues instead of hearing as your main method of communication. This may include sign-language and/or speechreading (also commonly referred to as "lipreading")

• Decibels (dB)- the intensity (volume or loudness) of a sound– A whisper is about 20 dB– loud music (some concerts) is around 80 to

120 dB– and a jet engine is about 140 to 180 dB– Usually, sounds greater than 85 dB can cause

hearing loss in a few hours; louder sounds can cause immediate pain, and hearing loss can develop in a very short time

How Hearing Loss is Measured

• Hertz- a range of frequencies• The tone of sound is measured in cycles per second (cps)

or Hertz. • Low bass tones range around 50 to 60 Hz• Shrill, high - pitched tones range around 10,000 Hz or

higher• The normal range of human hearing is about 16 Hz to

16,000 Hz• Some people can hear within a slightly higher range• Animals can hear up to about 50,000 Hz.

Identifying Hearing Loss

• Ranges have been established to help people identify how much difficulty they should expect from their hearing loss. The typical ranges for an adult are:

• -10dB to 25dB = Normal range

• 26dB to 40 dB = Mild hearing loss

• 41 dB to 55 dB = Moderate hearing loss

• 56 dB to 70 dB = Moderately Severe hearing loss

• 71 dB to 90 dB = Severe hearing loss

• over 90 dB = Profound hearing loss

Audiogram

• Hearing loss is plotted on an audiogram. It is a graphic representation of hearing loss, showing the amount of heraing loss in decibels(dB) at different Hertz(Hz)

• Right ear is represented

by a red circle

• Left ear is

represented by

a blue Xyou have to chart each ear

in a different color so that it

doesn’t get confusing and you

mix the ears up.

Audiogram-this colored chart should help you see if there is a problem in the purple section, it means you have a mild hearing loss,etc.

• 10dB to 25dB = Normal hearing• 26dB to 40 dB = Mild hearing loss • 41 dB to 55 dB = Moderatehearing loss • 56 dB to 70 dB = Moderately• Severe hearing loss • 71 dB to 90 dB = Severe hearing loss• over 90 dB = Profoundhearing loss

Hertz/Decibels

Decibels

Hertz

*if you are plotting on this audiogram in the blue section it means you have a problem with low sounds, etc. Hertz is always on the horizontal line and decibels (volume) is always on the vertical line.

Identify the Hearing Loss

What type of hearing loss

is it?

Normal Hearing

Moderate Loss

Mild Hearing Loss

Profound Hearing Loss

The speech banana is called such due to its shape. When the sounds of speech or phonemes of all the

world’s languages are charted in a diagram with one axis containing decibel levels (dB) and the other axis containing the frequency (Hertz or Hz), the shape is

that of a banana. • Audiologists are primarily concerned with

hearing loss that occurs within the Speech Banana because it can slow the development of a child’s language and speech abilities which, in turn, can profoundly interfere with learning. Hearing loss within the Speech Banana can also hinder communication capabilities in adults.

Audiologist

• audiologist: a person who tests and measures hearing. (gives hearing aids and cochlear impants)

Otologist

• otologist: a doctor who treats diseases of the ear. (does surgery and/or helps with oncurring problems of the ear

otolaryngologist:

• a doctor who treats diseases and problems of the ear, nose, and throat.

• a.k.a.: (ENT) (ear, nose and throat doctor)

Review:

• Outer Ear: pinna (ear lobe) and ear canal• Middle Ear: (smallest bones in your body)

stirrup, anvil and hammer; ear drum (tympanic membrane) when hearing loss happens in the middle ear it's ALWAYS correctable.

• Inner Ear: cochlea, semicircular canal, eustachian tube, auditory nerves (connect to the brain to inform of noise) When hearing loss happens in the inner ear, it's permanent nerve damage)

• http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/silence.asp

Study and also know these facts:

• otitis media: infection of the middle ear.• Otitis media...a.k.a. an ear infection, is the

most common ‘sickness’ with children next to the common cold.

• Don’t worry if you know of a kid that has ear infections and has fluid in their ear and needs tubes in their ears. Its VERY common and nothing bad can ever come of surgery to put in tubes. It’s normal for a kid to have fluid in their ear. :/

Also

• Remember:• Conductive hearing loss=correctable!

ALWAYS you can fix the problem with removing blockage, ear wax, fluid or surgery to the bones that are broken.

• your ear drums can heal! Becareful adn try not to use cutips. If you do, you are normally pushing BACK the ear wax further into your ear. And if you stick it in too far you can hurt yourself.

What Causes Hearing Loss?

You tell me!