Modern science has brought about many new devices to cancel out the mono sounds that create a static sense of hearing for those who suffer from unilateral hearing loss.
Facing unilateral hearing loss can be confusing at first as the individual is usually unaware of the cause of his sudden headaches and the inability to hear correctly. If you suffer from unilateral hearing loss everyday sounds such as TV and conversations may sound similar to trying to hear through static. For a person with unilateral hearing loss the entire world of sounds can be one big static phone conversation.
What is causing the impaired hearing is that one ear has completely loss its ability to hear while the other still works at full capacity. Basically the person is only able to hear mono sounds, in a stereo world.
If you believe that you may be suffering from unilateral hearing loss or any other type of hearing loss, you should see a professional screener who can do extensive testing to diagnose and pin point the problem. If you are diagnosed with unilateral hearing loss you do have many options for treatment other than simply learning to live with it.
In general, you have two main options. Both options are different types of amplifier devices that help aid your non-hearing ear so that sounds become more balanced and interpretable by the sensory areas in your brain.
The first option you may consider purchasing is a CROS hearing aid. This hearing aid takes the sounds that reach the eardrum of the impaired ear and transfers them over to be heard simultaneously with the sounds in the other ear. The unilateral hearing loss amplifier works because you receive the complete definition of sounds through the capable ear. More advanced CROS hearing aids now use wireless transmissions so it is hardly noticeable when a person with unilateral hearing loss is wearing the tiny amplifier device on their ears.
The other amplifier device for unilateral hearing loss is the bone anchored hearing aid which transfers lost sounds through bone conduction. Using the bones in the head, stimulated sounds waves are sent to the ear that can still hear.. Thus, the hearing ear is able to pick up a better sense of both sounds and gives the sensory area of the brain more to work with. This minimizes the static effect which often accompanies unilateral hearing loss and gives the sufferer a better sense of hearing.