Hearing

The following tests and treatments are performed at the Center:

1. Conventional hearing tests for all ages, newborns to geriatrics.

2. Special tests (behavioral and objective) for locating pathologies along the auditory pathways:

§         Impedance tests of the middle ear (tympanometry and acoustic reflexes)

§         Otoacoustic emissions, which reflect outer hair cell function in the inner ear.

§         ABR = Auditory Nerve and Brainstem Evoked Response, which is useful in both audiological and neurological diagnosis.

§         Central auditory tests, which are helpful in testing children with learning disabilities, attention disorders, and difficulty in reading and writing. These tests can also be used for adults with normal peripheral hearing who complain of significant difficulty in speech perception.

3. Hearing Screening Program for Newborns.

All newborns are screened for hearing loss after birth, before discharge from the hospital. Those who don’t pass screening are followed up at the age of a month, and further as necessary. Early identification of hearing loss is important in order to start habilitation programs as soon as possible, for the best possible speech and language development.

4. Hearing Habilitation:

§         Hearing aid counseling and fitting for all ages, together with coordination with the different educational frameworks. The clinic runs a special project for purchase of second hand hearing aids at a low price.

§         Counseling before cochlear implant surgery, for those hard of hearing or deaf patients who don’t benefit sufficiently from hearing aids.

§         Habilitation after the cochlear implant operation: tuning of the implant, therapy and counseling.