Hearing News Watch

Doctors are warning parents about the potential dangers posed by popular expanding bead toys, such as Orbeez. According to an article published this month in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery,  super-absorbent polymer bead toys that expand when placed in water can cause serious ear injuries in children. The super-absorbent polymer balls are incredibly small and can expand up to 300 times their original

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA – Researchers at the University of Louisiana have discovered that sea anemone proteins can repair damaged mouse cochlear hair cells. Their results were published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Sea anemones, which are able to detect passing prey using their vibration-sensitive hair cells covering their tentacles, have the amazing capacity to rebuild and restore parts of their

ZUG, SWITZERLAND — Biopharmaceutical company Auris Medical Holdings announced late last month that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to its investigational drug, KeyzilenTM (AM-101).  Keyzilen is esketamine gel for intratympanic injection, intended for acute peripheral tinnitus following cochlear injury or otitis media in adults.  The Fast Track designation by the FDA of an investigational drug helps expedite the

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Global coffee giant, Starbucks, has announced that it will be opening a café in Malaysia that is dedicated to employing baristas who are Deaf or hard of hearing.The new café will be open to all customers, not just the Deaf and hard of hearing community. In what is likely a first for a major company in

The disability caused by tinnitus is believed to be one of the most common chronic medical conditions in adults – on par with diabetes, lower back & neck pain and knee problems. And, hearing care professionals encounter patients with tinnitus on an almost daily basis.   In fact, according to South Korean researchers, tinnitus, like hearing loss, is one of

A July, 2016 JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery article indicates hearing aid and cochlear implant (CI) users experienced significant improvement in their depressive symptoms 6 to 12 months after treatment with their amplification devices. Janet Choi, MPH and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Drexel University conducted an observational study involving 113 participants.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — There are fun times to be had in Music City this September.  The Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences will host its 21st annual Hearing Aid Hands-On Workshop September 15-17th, 2016 at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center in Nashville, TN. This three-day event covers all aspects of hearing aid selection, fitting and verification. Drs. Gus Mueller, Todd Ricketts

The U.S. private hearing aid market experienced a marked increase in June, as total hearing aid unit sales grew 13% compared to June, 2015. During that same period of time, the Veteran’s Administration system, which comprises about 20% of the total U.S. market saw their year-over-year unit sales decline 3%. This according to data published in the July 2016 AB

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing will be allowed the chance to obtain their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in the state of Ohio. The state has become one of the first to do so since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) instituted a hearing exemption waiver. For years the FMCSA has relied on individuals

Even though so-called disruptive technology, e.g, over-the-counter hearing aids, has been a big focus of the National Academy of Sciences recommendations to changes in hearing health care, other more futuristic innovations may hold sway in the treatment of hearing loss. Hair cell regeneration is one of these potential breakthroughs, and it is the cover story in the summer, 2016 issue