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For those who use hearing aids, watching TV can often be a challenge. It’s difficult to hear the dialogue clearly, especially when background noise is present. However, there is a solution: connecting hearing aids to the TV can greatly improve the listening experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to connect hearing aids to a TV and enhance your viewing experience.

How to Connect Hearing Aids to TV

Step 1: Determine what kind of hearing aids you have

Before you start connecting your hearing aids to your TV, it’s important to determine what kind of hearing aids you have. If you have hearing aids that are compatible with Bluetooth, you can skip ahead to Step 2. However, if your hearing aids do not have Bluetooth capabilities, you will need a Bluetooth transmitter.

Step 2: Enable Bluetooth on your TV

If your TV has Bluetooth capabilities, you can easily connect your hearing aids to it. To enable Bluetooth on your TV, follow these steps:

1. Go to the settings menu on your TV
2. Select “Bluetooth”
3. Turn on Bluetooth

If your TV does not have Bluetooth capabilities, you will need to purchase a Bluetooth transmitter. These are readily available online or at your local electronics store.

Step 3: Pair your hearing aids with your TV

Once your TV is set up for Bluetooth, it’s time to pair your hearing aids. Follow these steps to connect your hearing aids to your TV:

1. Turn on your hearing aids and set them to “pairing” mode
2. On your TV, go to the Bluetooth settings menu and select “pair new device”
3. Select your hearing aids from the list of available devices
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process

Step 4: Adjust the settings for optimal sound quality

After you’ve successfully paired your hearing aids with your TV, it’s time to adjust the settings to optimize the sound quality. Depending on the make and model of your hearing aids, you may be able to adjust the volume, treble, bass, and other sound settings. Experiment with these settings until you find the combination that works best for you.

Conclusion

Connecting your hearing aids to your TV can greatly improve your viewing experience. Whether you have Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids or need to purchase a Bluetooth transmitter, it’s a simple process to connect your hearing aids to your TV. With a little bit of experimentation and adjusting of the settings, you’ll be able to watch your favorite shows and movies with ease.

Here are some additional tips and information to keep in mind when connecting your hearing aids to your TV:

1. Check compatibility: Before purchasing a Bluetooth transmitter, make sure it is compatible with your hearing aids. Some transmitters only work with specific models or brands of hearing aids, so double-check to avoid any compatibility issues.
2. Use headphones: If you prefer to watch TV alone or want to avoid disturbing others, consider using headphones in addition to your hearing aids. You can connect your headphones to the TV using a standard audio cable or Bluetooth, depending on the type of headphones you have.
3. Adjust the TV volume: While your hearing aids can improve your TV audio, it’s still important to adjust the TV volume to a comfortable level. Too high of a volume can damage your hearing or cause discomfort, so find the right balance for your needs.
4. Use closed captions: In addition to using hearing aids, closed captions can also enhance your TV watching experience. Many TVs offer closed captioning options, which can help you follow the dialogue even if you miss a word or two.
5. Consult with an audiologist: If you’re having difficulty hearing the TV even with hearing aids, it’s a good idea to consult with an audiologist. They can help you determine if your hearing aids need adjustment or if a different type of device, such as a personal sound amplifier or cochlear implant, may be more appropriate for your needs.

Overall, connecting your hearing aids to your TV is a simple process that can greatly improve your listening experience. By following the steps outlined above and experimenting with the settings, you can enjoy your favorite shows and movies with ease.

The word bilateral itself explains the meaning ; the hearing loss in both the ears. Now this can have different degrees such as mild,  moderate, severe or profound. The bilateral hearing impairment may be caused by factors in the outer, middle or inner ear or a combination of these areas.

As the experience of bilateral hearing loss can varies from person to person, it is very important to have your hearing loss evaluated by a hearing care expert.

Additionally, there are other hearing health conditions that might have overlapping symptoms with bilateral hearing loss, so seeking advice from an expert will ensure that you are treated for your specific hearing loss needs.

Symptoms of Bilateral Hearing Loss

The symptoms of a bilateral hearing loss are reduced hearing in both ears.

A bilateral hearing loss can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. When it is symmetrical, the hearing loss is about the same in both ears. When it is asymmetrical the one ear hears better than the other, but in both cases there is a hearing loss in both ears.

Being proactive will help you to receive a proper diagnosis as early as possible so that you can seek treatment if required. Any recognizable symptoms can be a sign of mild, moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss.

Common Symptoms of Hearing Loss Include:

• Difficulty understanding others, especially in noisy environments
• Turning up the TV volume louder than usual
• Asking others to repeat themselves
• Relying on lip reading to understand what others are saying

Causes of Bilateral Hearing Loss

A bilateral hearing loss can be caused by many factors. The most common causes are: age, noise exposure, heredity (genes) and medication, which all mostly lead to a sensorineural hearing loss. You can also have a bilateral hearing loss if both of your ears’ ability to conduct sound into the inner ear are blocked or reduced. This is called a conductive hearing loss. When the bilateral hearing loss is both conductive and sensorineural, it is called a mixed hearing loss.

Treatments of Bilateral Hearing Loss

Some cases of bilateral hearing loss can be treated with surgery. Other types of bilateral hearing loss are best treated with hearing aids. Whether you need one or two hearing aids depends of the degree of hearing loss in each ear. 

In some cases of bilateral hearing loss both surgery and the use of hearing aids are recommended.

If you only have a hearing loss in one ear it is called single sided deafness.

If you think that you have a bilateral hearing loss, you should contact your family doctor or a hearing health care professional.

If a profound hearing loss has been present since birth, we may recommend that you be referred to an appropriate specialist for cochlear implants. This electronic device is surgically inserted into the inner ear to replace the work of the damaged nerves by sending sound signals to the brain. Cochlear implants are a popular solution for patients who showcase no benefit from hearing aids.

Imagine one day all of a sudden you are unable to hear certain sounds. Isn’t that very disturbing and the first question that comes in mind is the hearing loss temporary or permanent.

It is very important to understand the source of hearing loss which will help you to find the impact that whether it is permanent or not.

If we discuss about the temporary hearing loss most audiologists will agree that they would have dealt with a temporary hearing loss in their journey of life at one point of time.

Temporary hearing loss tends to come suddenly or in short intervals of few days. The symptoms for this includes muffled sounds, difficulty hearing, high pitched sounds.

Oftenly, temporary hearing loss will clear up on its own. However, it is best if you go to the doctor to get the problem diagnosed and examined. Depending on the cause of your hearing loss, your doctor might have different ideas for treatment. They might advise you to rest or administer medication to help clear up any infections. Common treatments for temporary hearing loss include:

Silence. If you’ve recently been exposed to loud noises, silence is the most important thing. If you keep listening to loud noises and don’t sufficiently rest your ears, you could end up with serious permanent damage.

Antibiotics. If your problem lies with an infection, you need to take some antibiotics and clear up the infection in your ears. Then, the fluid will drain and you should hear normally again.

Stop ototoxic medications. If you’re taking medications that are impairing your hearing, your doctor might ask that you stop taking them and switch to a different treatment. After that your hearing should improve.

Remove blockages. If you have a foreign object in your ear or impacted earwax, you need to have this blockage removed. Until then, you will likely continue experiencing temporary conductive hearing loss.

Never try to remove foreign objects yourself, and only trust medical professionals with your ears. If we talk about permanent hear loss sometimes ear infections cause irreversible damage to the eardrum or bones within the ear. Bacteria residing in the ear could break them down.

The way is to consult for medical help as soon as possible, as an ear infection could end up causing permanent hearing loss if not taken care properly.

Causes of Permanent Hearing Loss

The main causes of permanent hearing loss are:

Noise exposure: Repeat exposure to loud noises or one-off exposure to extremely loud sounds would cause permanent hearing loss.
Age: Age is another common cause of hearing loss. The data shows that, unfortunately, two-thirds of us will have hearing loss by the time we are 70-79 years old.
Underlying health conditions: Some diseases could lead to permanent hearing loss. Examples include autoimmune diseases, Ménière’s disease, hereditary diseases and viral infections.
Injury or trauma: Physical damage to the auditory system can lead to permanent hearing loss.
Drugs: Hearing loss is a possible side-effect of certain drugs.

Hearing loss can be either permanent or temporary. Hearing loss can sometimes be treatable or be a sign of other underlying health problems. That is why you should always look for medical attention if
you are doubtful you are having hearing loss.

If your hearing loss is indeed permanent, a hearing device might help improve your quality of life andprotect your remaining hearing ability.

According to a study by  Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) it has been analysed that there are  five levels of hearing loss, from normal hearing to profound hearing loss. In a study by HHF, a hearing specialist suggests a hearing aid starting with the second level of hearing loss, moderate hearing loss.

• With moderatehearing loss, it is difficult hearing sounds quieter than 41 decibels to 55 decibels, ex: refrigerator humming or normal conversation. In this case you often ask people to speak louder or repeat themselves.“And when ty the time they reach moderate degrees of hearing loss, at least half the people wear some sort of amplification, either a hearing aid or one of the low-cost personal sound amplification products, or PSAPs,”.

• Secondly with moderately severehearing loss, you find it difficult to hear sounds quieter than 56 to 70 decibels, ex : nearby washing machine or dishwasher. According to the HHF,in this case you are not be able to hear speech without a hearing aid. According to a study the latest digitally programmed hearing aids make it easier for people with this level of hearing loss to pick up conversation without raising the volume or using special speech recognition techniques, like lip reading.

• And with severe hearing loss, you find it very difficult to hear sounds quieter than 71 to 90 decibels, ex : nearby motorcycle. According to the HHF, speech will be inaudible without a hearing aid or a surgically implanted hearing device.

• With profound hearing loss, you find it difficult hear sounds quieter than 91 decibels. According to the a study by HHF, even very loud sounds, ex traffic and fire alarms, cannot be heard without a hearing aid at this point. “By the time you’re at a profound hearing loss, it’s increasingly difficult for people to wear hearing aids because, by the time they turn them up to be effective, they become uncomfortably loud.