Audiology

Hearing loss is on the rise in the United States for all ages and can be due to age, medical conditions, excessive noise, and more. Our audiologist. Michael Lazarczyk, AuD, is dedicated to figuring out why you or your child are dealing with hearing loss and offering you expert care to help you regain some hearing if possible or manage permanent hearing loss.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Your ear has three parts: outer, middle, and inner. If something happens to one of these three areas, hearing loss can occur. Common causes include:

• Aging
• Exposure to loud noises
• Ear wax build up
• Chronic ear infections
• Unusual bone growth or tumors
• Ruptured eardrums
• Certain medications
• Certain illnesses
• Genetics
• Intrauterine infections

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

You or your child can have hearing loss in one or both ears. Symptoms can include:

• Muffled sounds
• Trouble understanding words when there is a lot of background noise
• Asking others to speak up or more slowly
• Turning up the volume on the TV or radio
• Ringing in your ears called tinnitus
• Delayed speech and language milestones in children

Types of Hearing Loss

There are a few different types of hearing loss that our audiologist can provide high-quality treatment for.

• Conductive Hearing Loss: When there is a problem with your outer or middle ear
• Sensorineural Hearing Loss: When there is a problem with your inner ear or auditory nerve
• Mixed Hearing Loss: A combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss

When to See an Audiologist

If you notice sudden hearing loss, hearing trouble is interfering with your daily life, or you begin noticing hearing loss little by little due to age, seek care with our audiologist. It is important to catch hearing loss earlier, when it is easier to treat. No matter what stage of hearing loss you are dealing with, though, we have options to help.

Diagnosing Hearing Loss

Once you schedule an appointment with our audiologist, he will perform an exam or tests to determine why you are having difficulty hearing. These can include:

1. Physical exam: He will look in your ears
2. Hearing test: For both adults and children, we will assess your hearing ability with a range of pitches and volumes
3. Imaging tests: Our Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons may order a CT scan or MRI to look for structural problems or tumors
4. Tympanometry test: Shows how well your middle ear is working by determining how your eardrum moves

Hearing Treatments We Offer

Once we determine why you are having hearing loss, our audiologist can help you understand your treatment options and pick the best route for you and your lifestyle.

At Faith Regional, we offer both surgical and non-surgical treatment options depending on your needs. Our audiologist works closely with our Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) physicians to tailor our approach to your unique situation.

Non-surgical treatment options offered by either our audiologist or ENT specialists include:

• Earwax removal
• Hearing aids 
• Assistive listening devices that improve signal to noise ratio
• Medication for illnesses and ear infections

Surgical treatment options include:

• Bone conduction implants, also called osseointegrated or bone-anchored devices
• Cochlear implants 
• Ear tube surgery
• Stapedectomy