Do I have to go to the ent before buying hearing aids?
People entering an audiological center for the first time tend to do so for two main reasons. The vast majority walk through its doors on their own initiative since they or their family members have begun to notice that they listen less. It’s more difficult to understand the people who speak to them, they turn the television very loud, they don’t hear certain acoustic signals that they previously perceived without much difficulty... Faced with this situation, they decide to visit a center to find out if they’re suffering from hearing loss and look for the most suitable solution. On the other hand, there are other people who decide to visit a center because they have noticed the same symptoms, they have gone to the ENT and he has recommended that they must use hearing aids. Is there a difference between these two cases? Has either of them performed better than the other?
In both cases, the person has acted correctly.
Information and experience
Whether pushed by oneself or because the ENT specialist has recommended it, both people go to the audiological center to have a study done to determine what their hearing loss is like and solve it in the best possible way. In the hearing centers, we carry out all the necessary tests that allow us to observe what the nature of the loss is, in what degree of affectation it’s and how it influences your day to day, especially regarding your ability to understand the speech of the people that surrounds you. Thanks to this information that we collect, together with our knowledge and experience, we are perfectly able to recommend an appropriate solution for your hearing problem. Normally, that solution will be a hearing aid but in some cases it can also be to refer you to the ENT if necessary.
Trust your audiologist
As we mentioned before, in the hearing centers we will do different tests that will help your audiologist reach a conclusion about what you need. Although we cannot diagnose, with these tests we can also see signs that lead us to suspect that you need to visit an ENT. For example, if at the time of doing the audiological study we detect that perhaps you have some kind of infection, we will tell you that, before doing anything, you should visit an ENT doctor to check if it exists and, if it were the case, the treat properly. If an ENT can help you, trust your audiologist as he will be the first to tell you.
At Claso we are clear that our mission as audiologists is to provide you with an adequate solution for your hearing loss and, if your ear suffers from any kind of curable ailment, we will refer you to the doctor. For us, hearing aids aren’t an end in themselves but a means to help you improve your life.