Two Ears or One?

Contrary to what you may think, one ear working less effectively than the other can have a significant impact on your daily activities.  View the guidelines below to find out more.

Localisation

Balanced hearing is vital for our ability to locate where a sound is coming from. Our brain instinctively locates a sound source by measuring the tiny differences in duration and intensity between each ear. This is important to our safety, especially in traffic.

Auditory Deprivation

This can be reduced by wearing two hearing instruments. Auditory deprivation can occur when the brain gradually loses some of its information processing ability from the unaided ear due to lack of sound stimulation.

Cut Out The Noise

Our two ears working together give us the ability to isolate one sound over another. The brain can select a specific sound and concentrate on it. So depending on your hearing loss, you may not have to work so hard to hear effectively in the most difficult listening situations.

Less Stressful Hearing

With both ears providing an even input of sound, less amplification may be required to achieve a comfortable listening level and you don't need to worry about always getting your "good ear" turned towards sounds. With all the additional benefits, you may actually find balanced hearing to be less stressful; it should certainly sound more natural. 

One is less than half

Hearing with one ear is like trying to see with one eye - it is possible, but not as effective. That's why you don't see people wearing monocles any more. They became obsolete when eye specialists realised the many important advantages of balanced vision. 

1 or 2 Hearing Aids

Your Hearing Aid Audiologist can determine by electronic evaluation if wearing two hearing aids can help you. Even if you're already wearing one aid, better hearing with both ears can offer you a fuller, more enriching sound experience.