The Hearing Clinic

Hearing in 3-dimensions?  If you’ve been wondering what the point of 3-D printing is, let us introduce you to a new development in hearing health. A team of Harvard researchers and surgeons in the USA have developed a 3-D printed graft that can be implanted to repair a damaged eardrum. Called the PhonoGraft, this innovation has just entered commercial development and aims to solve the pain and hearing loss of eardrum perforation – a problem that affects millions of people worldwide. The eardrum, known as the tympanic membrane, is a thin membrane that conducts sound in the ear and protects against any nasties like bacteria or viruses that may find…

  Scientists from the University of Southern California have made a fascinating discovery linked to the inner ear’s sensory cells and their ability to regenerate, which may help science edge closer to a medical solution to restoring lost hearing. The inner ear contains two types of sensory cells, ‘hair’ cells that receive sound vibrations, and supporting cells that play various functional roles. When the hair cells are damaged due to wear and tear over time, or due to noise damage, they don’t regenerate, leading to permanent – or sensorineural – hearing loss.    The US scientists found that, for the first few days of life, the supporting cells in the…

• Science-based Oto is a science-based therapy programme that’s available on Android and iOS devices that claims to keep tinnitus treatment simple. It offers an extensive sound therapy library plus ‘notch therapy’, the ability to tailor sounds to the pitch of your tinnitus, providing even more effective masking. • Range of cognitive behavioural therapy Oto provides a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) exercises to train your brain to respond differently to the sound it perceives. This means that, over time, you’ll hear your tinnitus less and less, with the goal of habituation – the point at which you no longer notice it at all. • Sleep relaxation and sleep…

Babies start to learn even earlier than we thought possible – at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. They recognise their mother’s voice from this point.  Over a million new connections are formed every second in a baby’s brain during the first couple of years of a baby’s life. But for synapses to connect neurons and for learning to happen, babies need to be stimulated. Talking, singing, tickling – every interaction helps to build their brain. But it’s a one-time-only opportunity. If the synapses aren’t built, they disappear. Built to learn But what an opportunity it is. A baby is capable of learning any language. If a child hears two languages…

A new wearable device, now available worldwide, is enabling people with hearing impairment to feel sounds on their skin. The Neosensory Buzz looks like an Apple Watch or Fitbit and enables the wearer to feel water running, an alarm ringing, or someone calling their name. Developed by neuroscientists, Buzz turns sound into vibration that you can feel on your wrist and gives you another channel to experience sound by sending it directly to your brain via the sense of touch. You can programme Buzz to suit your unique needs and it will adjust to your surroundings, cancelling out any noise you don’t want to hear. You can feel the beat…