american academy of audiology | howsyourhearing.org hearing is one of the five human senses. hearing...


How We Hear

We use our ears to hear sounds.

Sounds travel through the air and our ears as sound waves.


How We Hear

• Sound waves are collected by the outer part of the ear,

called the pinna.

• The pinna is the only part of the ear that you can see

with your eye.


How We Hear

• After the sound waves are collected by the pinna they

are sent through the ear canal before reaching the

ear drum.

• When the sound waves hit the ear drum, it vibrates.


How We Hear• The vibrations from the ear

drum makes three small bones in the ear vibrate.

o The hammero The anvilo The stirrup

• Those three bones together are called the ossicles.

hammer

anvil

stirrup


How We Hear• The vibration of the

ossicles transfer the sound waves to the inner ear.

• The inner ear has two parts, the cochlea and the

semicircular canals.

• The semicircular canals. help you determine

movement and to stay balanced.

semicircular canals

cochlea


How We Hear• As the sound waves pass

through the cochlea, they cause microscopic hair cells

to vibrate.

• These hair cells, called cilia, are linked to the auditory

nerve. When the cilia vibrate they send an electric impulse signal to the brain.

• When the signal reaches the brain, we hear!

From David J. Lim. Functional Structure of the Organ of Corti: A Review. Hearing Research, 22 (1986) 117-146

cochlea

auditory nerve

Cilia


Taking Care of Our Ears

• Just like our eyes and teeth, we need to make sure we take care of our ears.

• The people who take care of our ears are called AUDIOLOGISTS.


Audiologists• An audiologist is the person you visit to have your ears

checked.o He or she will look inside your ears with a tool called an

otoscope.o The otoscope lets the audiologist see if you have anything

stuck in your ears that shouldn’t be.


Audiologists• Audiologists also test your hearing using beeps, words, and

other sounds.

o During a hearing test, an audiologist will have you sit in a special room, that is completely quiet, to see what sounds

you can hear.

o Sometimes the audiologist will have you point out pictures that go with the sounds, or play games where you have to

listen to the sounds.


Some Reasons We Lose Our Hearing

Babies are sometimes born not hearing as well, or not hearing at all.

Adults and kids can lose their hearing from being around noises that are too loud (noise-induced hearing loss –

NIHL)As adults get older, they can start to lose their hearing.

Some diseases can make you lose your hearing.


Types of Hearing Loss

Sensorineural Hearing LossConductive Hearing Loss

Mixed Hearing Loss

• The safest way to determine if you have a hearing loss is to visit your audiologist for a hearing evaluation. An audiologist

can then work with you to determine the best treatment option for your hearing loss.


Sensorineural Hearing Loss • When the cilia in the cochlea

become broken or bent, they no longer vibrate correctly and the

electric impulse signal does not get sent to our brain.

• Once those hair cells break or bend, they can never be fixed.

• Noise-induced hearing loss or NIHL, happens when we are around

noises that are too loud, causing our cilia to over vibrate and

become damaged.From David J. Lim. Functional Structure of the Organ of Corti: A Review. Hearing Research, 22 (1986) 117-146


Conductive Hearing LossConductive hearing loss happens when the sound waves are not able to reach the inner ear.

Some of the reasons this can happen are:• Blockage in the ear canal from:

o Ear wax (cerumen) build-up. o A foreign object lodged in there.

• Fluid occupying the middle ear space.o This happens a lot due to ear infections, also called otitis

media.


Mixed Hearing Loss

• Hearing loss that involves both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.


Hearing AidsIf you have a hearing loss, sometimes an audiologist will

recommend that you get a hearing aid.

Hearing Aids are:o Special devices you place in your ear to help you hear

better.o Comfortable to wear and come in a lot of colors and

designs.


Remember to spell out E A R S to protect your hearing.

E - Earplugs (wear them when it’s too noisy)

A - Avoid loud sounds

R - Reduce the sound (turn down the volume)

S – Shorten the time you listen to the noise (less than 30

minutes)


If you think you or someone you know might have a hearing

problem?Tell your parents to go online to

www.HowsYourHearing.orgto find an audiologist near you.

Questions???

http://www.howsyourhearing.org/

american academy of audiology | howsyourhearing.org hearing is one of the five human senses. hearing...

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