Hearing & Balance Overview
Specialized Hearing and Balance Care in Athens, GA
Georgia Hearing Center is a part of ENT of Athens. Our goal is to provide you with the resources and tools to overcome hearing loss. We want to make sure you never miss a memorable moment with your grandkids, an important conversation with a colleague, or the punchline of a friend’s joke. With improved hearing, you’ll be ready for anything life has to offer you.
Having Trouble with Your Hearing?
You’re not alone. Hearing loss is one of the most common health concerns in the U.S. behind arthritis and heart disease. Approximately 38 million people have hearing loss and it can affect all ages, even children.
If you’re unsure if you have hearing loss, here are some of the most common symptoms:
- Difficulty following conversations when in background noise
- Missing parts of the conversation
- Feeling like others mumble
- Turning the volume up on the television
- Avoiding social gatherings
Have Your Hearing Tested
A comprehensive audiology evaluation consists of a series of individual diagnostic tests that measure different aspects of your hearing. Following an ear exam, a physical evaluation of your ear, and a review of your medical history, you may be given the following tests:
- Pure-Tone Testing
- Bone Conduction Testing
- Speech Testing
- Tympanometry
- Acoustic Reflex Testing
- Auditory Brainstem Response
- Otoacoustic Emissions
Consider Hearing Aids
For those with hearing loss, hearing aids can provide many benefits. When they decide to manage hearing loss with hearing aids, many patients experience:
- Improved mental health
- Improved professional success
- Improved emotional well-being
Feeling Dizzy or Unbalanced?
A balance disorder is a condition marked by the symptoms of feeling unsteady or dizzy. Even while standing, lying or sitting still, a person will feel as if they are moving, spinning or floating. The most common balance disorders are:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
- Meniere’s disease
- Labyrinthitis