by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A hard of hearing person asked: Is the noise damage threshold the same for me as it is for a person with normal hearing? Do I just add my decibel loss (by frequency) to the noise damage threshold for normal ears? [approximately 80 to 85 dB] If sustained noise at 90 […]
Are Epidurals Given During Childbirth Ototoxic?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A lady asked: Have you ever heard of epidurals used during labor and delivery being ototoxic? The reason I ask is because I met a woman whose child was born deaf 6 months ago. She had received 4 different epidurals during her labor and delivery because none of them seemed to […]
Smoking and Hearing Loss
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked: While it is common knowledge that smoking is harmful to the lungs, I have been told that smoking may damage hearing as well. Is this true? I could not find a reference to this in your list of ototoxic drugs on your website. The Hearing Loss Help website […]
Will Hearing Aids Work in Cases of Head Injuries?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A young lady wrote: My boyfriend and I were in a motorcycle accident in July. Since then he has had deafness in the left ear. His ENT told him he had a skull fracture and now has permanent hearing loss in the left ear, and that there is no chance of recovery. Would […]
Twinrix Hepatitis Vaccine–Ototoxic?
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked: It seems like everyone is getting vaccinated with the Twinrix Hepatitis virus vaccine. Do you know how safe it is? Does it affect hearing? I have no information indicating Twinrix causes hearing loss. However, it can cause dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus and middle ear pain–so you might want to […]
Hearing iPod in Stereo with Cochlear Implants
by Neil Bauman, Ph.D. A man asked: How can you get a stereo signal (say out of an iPod) split into a right and a left channel for bilateral cochlear implant (CI) recipients? The female plug from the iPod is 1/8″ stereo. Each CI processor has a DAI [direct audio input] patch cord ending with a 1/8″ […]