Millions of Americans experience some degree of hearing loss. The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates programs that provide cash disability benefits to people with permanent impairments like hearing loss, if they can show that their impairments meet stringent SSA criteria and their earnings are below an SSA threshold. The National Research Council convened an expert committee at the request of the SSA to study the issues related to disability determination for people with hearing loss. This volume is the product of that study. Hearing Loss: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits reviews current knowledge about hearing loss and its measurement and treatment, and provides an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the current processes and criteria. It recommends changes to strengthen the disability determination process and ensure its reliability and fairness. The book addresses criteria for selection of pure tone and speech tests, guidelines for test administration, testing of hearing in noise, special issues related to testing children, and the difficulty of predicting work capacity from clinical hearing test results. It should be useful to audiologists, otolaryngologists, disability advocates, and others who are concerned with people who have hearing loss.

The owner’s manual for ears. Intricately shaped and amazingly sensitive, ears are the organs of hearing and balance. When something goes wrong with the ears—whether infection or cancer, eardrum perforation or hearing loss—our overall well-being is generally disturbed. In The Ear Book, Drs. Thomas J. Balkany and Kevin D. Brown, recognized experts on ears and hearing, explain how the anatomy of the ear facilitates hearing and balance and then examine the causes, symptoms, and treatment of common problems of the outer, middle, and inner ear. Their explanations take the mystery out of hearing aids, the proper care of ears, and how the pressurized conditions of scuba diving and air travel affect the ears. And they debunk ear-related myths—from the notion that exposure to loud noise strengthens the ear to the idea that tinnitus can be cured with nutrients—and urge readers to stop using ear candling or Q-tips to get rid of wax. Drs. Balkany and Brown address such common questions as: Can dizziness be cured? How loud is too loud? Why do my ears ring? Do cochlear implants work for nerve deafness? What promise do innovations in gene therapy and stem cell therapy hold for the future? Fully illustrated and including helpful tables, hearing preservation tips, a glossary of terms, lists of ear medications and resources, and suggestions for further reading, The Ear Book is sure to be a welcome family guide.

At a level for doctoral or medical students in neurosciences, audiology, or physiology, Physiology of the Ear, 2E has brought together in a complete and concise manner a compilation of articles written by experts in their specialty and addressing clinical and basic science aspects of ear physiology. The text begins with a history of the discovery of the anatomy and physiology of the ear and works systematically from the external, middle, and inner ear to the brain. Easy to read and understand, this text can be used as a resource or as a tool for study and review. It covers topics such as sound and bone conduction mechanisms, signal processing, stimulus coding in the auditory system, blood circulation of the cochlea, and auditory brain mapping. It highlights the application of new research findings to the management problems encountered in everyday practice, and covers important aspects of nonauditory physiology such as skin migration in the ear canal.

The aim of this book is to harmonize the field of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and its interdisciplinary subjects within the European Community; to present the state of the art in the field and to give standards for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The book includes sections titled Head and Neck, Larynx and Trachea, Nose and Paranasal Sinuses, Oral Cavity and Oropharynx, and Otology and Neurotology. It also covers such topics as patient evaluation and treatment, basic surgical procedures, as well as more conservative approaches. The book is authored by renowned experts throughout Europe, and features a layout that facilitates quick and easy retrieval of information.

The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

The present edition is revised, updated and expanded.New clinical photographs, diagrams, tables and fl owcharts have been added to make the subject clear. A unique feature of this edition is white board lectures and videos, depicting through animations, the surgical procedures.