Hearing News Watch

STANFORD, CA—Research by scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine has raised hopes that apparently permanent hearing loss resulting from loud explosions may be reversible in the future. If their initial findings are confirmed, soldiers exposed to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and others who suffer damage from sources such as jet engines, car air bags, and gunfire may regain some

ISSAQUAH, WA–While it may not bring joy to its competitors’ hearts, Costco reports that its hearing aid business is growing fast. Interviewed for an online article published in Bloomberg Business Week on July 11, Richard Chavez, a senior VP at Costco, said that over the past four years its hearing aid sales have grown by an average of 26% a year

NEW YORK–The Hearing Health Foundation has launched a web site focusing on tinnitus. There, people who have the condition as well as healthcare professionals can learn more about tinnitus, which chronically affects 5% to 10% of the U.S. adult population. The site discusses the causes of tinnitus and explains the various treatments available to people who suffer from its often-tormenting

MINNEAPOLIS—Former President George W. Bush recently joined the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s global effort to provide hearing care to people in need. Earlier this month, he personally worked with foundation professionals in providing customized hearing devices to 222 people in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The foundation was started more than 20 years ago by William Austin, founder of Starkey Hearing Technologies.

    CANNES, FRANCE–Bone-conduction devices are most often used to help people who want to hear better but aren’t good candidates for conventional air-conduction hearing aids. This technology, which has been around since the 1970s, is frequently prescribed to people with conductive or unilateral hearing loss or who have abnormalities of the outer ear that prevent them from wearing in-the-ear

AUCKLAND, NZ–Here’s a novel idea from Down Under. Lance Cairns, a legendary figure in cricket from New Zealand, is asking corporate and community leaders in his country to go deaf for a few hours. The idea, says Cairns, is that if people get a better understanding of what it’s like to have a hearing loss, they may be more motivated

WARRENVILLE, IL–Erin C. Schafer, PhD, a leading expert on the use of FM systems, is the 2013 recipient of Phonak LLC’s Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award for outstanding achievement in educational and pediatric audiology. Schafer is an associate professor in speech and hearing sciences at the University of North Texas. This annual award honors an audiologist working in a school program

By David H. Kirkwood NEW YORK—A number of financial research firms in the United States and abroad follow the hearing industry on behalf of their clients. These include individual investors as well as institutional investors such as pension and hedge fund managers. The latest company to turn its sights on hearing aids is Sanford C. Bernstein. Founded in 1967, Bernstein

BIRMINGHAM, UK—For 69 pence (about $1.15), parents in Great Britain can obtain a phone app that can be used with a smartphone or an iPad to help them assess their children’s hearing without taking them to an audiology clinic. The Early Ears app was developed by British scientists at Aston University in Birmingham, who say that it can offer parents

WASHINGTON, DC–The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reached settlements with two wireless phone makers that its Enforcement Bureau found were failing to comply with FCC requirements to provide the public with hearing aid-compatible mobile phones. Under the consent decrees announced by the FCC on June 21, Airadigm Communications, dba Airfire Mobile, will make “a voluntary payment” of $260,000 to the