The latest trends in restaurant design are having an unfortunate side effect: ear-splitting noise. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal puts a spotlight on the problem: Restaurants housed in cavernous spaces with wood floors, linen-free tables, high ceilings and lots of windows—all of which cause sound to ricochet around what are essentially hard-surfaced [...]
A gene associated with a rare form of progressive deafness in males has been identified by an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The gene, PRPS1, appears to be crucial in inner ear development and maintenance. The findings are published in the December 17 early online [...]
There is great news for people suffering from hearing loss: On December 18th, an Advisory Panel of independent ENT experts unanimously recommended that the FDA approve the Esteem®, the first Fully Implantable Hearing Restoration System.The Esteem device had been in the clinical trial stage for over five years. Shohet Ear Associates was one of three [...]
According to a report released late last month by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group in Washington, parents should put safety first when toy shopping for the holidays. That includes checking for appropriate sound levels when buying toys with sound effects.Nearly 15% of kids from 6 to 17 show [...]
A recent article in USA Today reported on a helpful new resource for people who are considering the purchase of a hearing aid—or whose loved ones are. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just published a primer on Hearing Aids that includes such useful topics as types of hearing aids, benefits and safety issues, and how to [...]
Cochlear implants may be an option for some babies who have been born deaf. We are seeing good results in infants as young as 10 months old who have received cochlear implants. To see news footage compiled by Channels 2 and 9 on one such case, click here. It tells the story of the Wensleys [...]
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and a consortium of Korean institutions finds that there is "possible evidence linking mobile phone use to an increased risk of tumors." Their analysis has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.During the meta-analysis, researchers examined 465 articles published in major journals and focused on 23 studies involving [...]
Consumer Reports recently conducted an exhaustive study on the process of purchasing hearing aids, and concluded that people are better off buying their hearing aids from a medical office headed by an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose, and throat physician) who employs an audiologist to fit and dispense hearing aids. Consumer Reports followed a dozen actual patients for six [...]
Jack Shohet, M.D. recently traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil on behalf of Envoy Medical to instruct South American physicians on a technique he has developed for implanting the company’s Esteem implantable hearing device. Shohet Ear Associates is one of three sites worldwide engaged in clinical trials of this totally implantable hearing aid. From left are Professor Pedro [...]
October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, providing a perfect opportunity to remind my readers about the importance of guarding their ears against potentially damaging, high decibel noises. The harmful effect of loud sounds is well documented, as anyone who has served in the military knows all too well. However, a recent news story on [...]