Hearing News Watch

By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—In what has become a biennial ritual, the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act was once again introduced in the U.S. Senate last week. The measure, S. 1694, introduced on November 13 by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), calls for a non-refundable $500 tax credit for the purchase of a hearing

By David H. Kirkwood ROCKVILLE, MD–The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance document on November 7 designed to clarify “the distinction between hearing aids and personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), as well as the regulatory controls that apply to each.” It invited public response to the draft by February 5, 2014. Entitled “Regulatory Requirements for Hearing

The following post was revised on November 15 to include portions of the FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee’s position regarding the Nucleus® Hybrid™ L24 Implant System.   SILVER SPRING, MD—A public advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medical Devices Advisory Committee has given a favorable vote to a new implant system from Cochlear Americas. At a public meeting

SEATTLE–Experienced educational audiologists who would like to help children in great need and to have an unforgettable experience in the process may wish to answer a call from the Global Foundation for Children With Hearing Loss. The mission of the Seattle-based foundation is to make a direct and lasting impact on deaf and hard-of-hearing children around the world by providing

  By David H. Kirkwood When hi HealthInnovations announced two years ago that it would start selling “high-tech, lower cost hearing devices” directly to consumers, hearing healthcare organizations immediately denounced the plan. They contended that in bypassing the hearing professional, hi’s distribution model would provide inferior hearing solutions and would also endanger patients whose hearing loss was a symptom of

LONDON—Hearing scientists and hearing healthcare providers have known for decades that exposure to loud noise, especially over an extended period, often causes severe and irreversible hearing loss. However, a report by an international team of researchers reveals that the damage done by excessive noise extends far beyond hearing loss and related auditory problems, such as tinnitus. In an article, “Auditory

WASHINGTON, DC—Few seasoned flyers pay much attention to the in-flight safety video or demonstration that is presented at the start of every commercial flight. However, that doesn’t excuse airlines from presenting them—and in a way that is accessible to passengers who can’t hear. That’s why in September the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Virgin America $150,000 for failing to

ORLANDO, FL—A new smart phone-enabled otoscope may give parents a DIY way to diagnose ear infections in their child at home rather than having to take the youngster to the pediatrician’s office. That is the potential of the CellScope Oto, developed by CellScope, Inc., a San Francisco-based start-up. On Monday (October 28), an abstract was presented at the American Academy

WACO, TX—Like many mammals, whales have wax in their ears. And, given how large they are—blue whales can grow to nearly 100 feet in length and weigh close to 200 tons—it’s not surprising that they pack a lot of earwax. Whether it interferes with their hearing is hard to say; it doesn’t seem that any marine audiologists have tested whales

• When you tell people what you do for a living, do they often say, “What?”–and expect you to laugh? • When you’re standing behind an elderly person in the supermarket checkout line, do you have to resist a powerful urge to push his earmold properly into his ear? • Do you find battery stickers on the bottom of your shoes and