Hearing News Watch

May. 28, 2011

Under water, humans hear via bone conduction

David Kirkwood
SEATTLE–Using bone-conduction hearing, human beings can perceive much higher sounds under water than they can on land using air conduction. So reported researchers during a May 24 presentation to the Acoustical Society of America meeting in Seattle. In their study, researchers from the Naval Submarine Medical Research Lab in Groton, CT, tested the range of hearing for submerged participants in
May. 28, 2011

Hearing Loss Association to honor Kennedy Center

David Kirkwood
BETHESDA, MD – The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) has selected the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, to receive its 2011 National Access Award. The honor will be presented on June 19 during HLAA’s Convention at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. The Kennedy Center is being recognized for its extraordinary efforts to make
May. 24, 2011

William Demant may buy troubled HearUSA

David Kirkwood
WEST PALM BEACH, FL—The fate of HearUSA, one of the nation’s largest and oldest networks of audiology practices, remained up in the air this week following the West Palm Beach-based company’s voluntary filing under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. Acting under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, HearUSA announced on May 16 that it had named William Demant
May. 24, 2011

Tennessee law covers hearing aids for kids

David Kirkwood
NASHVILLE–Tennessee has joined the growing number of states that are requiring private insurers to provide coverage for hearing aids for children.  Last week, Governor Bill Haslam signed legislation requiring  insurance policies to cover up to $1000 per individual hearing aid per ear, every three years, for any child covered as a dependent by the policy holder. Sen. Doug Overbey, a
May. 23, 2011

FDA okays Baha processor

David Kirkwood
DENVER–Cochlear Americas (www.cochlearamericas.com) has announced  that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put its its Cochlear™ Baha 3 Power Sound Processor on the market in the U.S. The programmable bone-conduction system is often prescribed for children and adults with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or single-sided sensorineural deafness. The new processor uses
May. 23, 2011

Cuba develops infant hearing screener

David Kirkwood
HAVANA-Cuba will begin international marketing of new screening equipment for detection of newborn hearing loss. The announcement was made May 20 at  the 5th Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering held in Havana. The system, including software, was developed by Cuba’s Neuronic Enterprise.  
May. 23, 2011

Foundation targets hearing loss in the third world

David Kirkwood
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND–More than 600 million people worldwide suffer from hearing loss, but only 1 in 40 of them will ever have the opportunity to wear a hearing aid, according to recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO). That is largely because 70% of those with moderate to severe hearing impairment live in developing countries, where hearing healthcare is a
May. 16, 2011

Causes and cures for listener fatigue

David Kirkwood
LONDON—Speakers from Asius Technologies of Longmont, CO, reported their findings at the 130th Audio Engineering Society Convention on the cause of “listener fatigue” that some people experience when using hearing aids, in-ear headphones, and other devices that seal the ear canal. In addition, Stephen Ambrose, Robert Schulein, and Samuel Gido described new approaches to reduce the condition, which can cause
May. 16, 2011

Georgia restores sales tax exemption for hearing aids

David Kirkwood
ATLANTA–A year after the Georgia State Legislature repealed legislation that had exempted hearing aids from sales tax, Governor Nathan Deal signed a bill that immediately reinstated the tax exemption. The new bill also applied to some other medical devices and medications. Helping galvanize support for restoring the tax exemption for hearing aids was the Georgia Society of Hearing Professionals. The
May. 11, 2011

Hearing Health Matters editor honored by AAA

David Kirkwood
CHICAGO—The Journal of the American Academy of Audiology announced its Editor’s Awards during AudiologyNOW! 2011, held here in April. The honors, which recognize members of the JAAA editorial board for outstanding contributions to the peer review of the journal, went to Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD, and David A. Preves, PhD. Preves, who in 2009 received AAA’s Samuel F. Lybarger Award for