New Audiology Service from Òptica Balear
To celebrate our 40th anniversary here at Òptica Balear, we are launching our new audiology service, which will be offered in addition to our optician and optometry services. Our team of qualified experts is ready to help anyone who is suffering from a severe loss of hearing, ensuring that people of all ages have top-quality hearing, whether they are residents of Mallorca or simply passing through.
This personalised service is centred around carrying out comprehensive tests that will either recommend or rule out the use of hearing aids, which drastically improve patient’s quality of life. Our hearing aid dispensers perform checks on both the patient’s airways and bones in order to more precisely tailor the assessment to each individual. However, Òptica Balear’s service doesn’t end when we have fitted the hearing aid; we also offer provide you with friendly assistance and will help you with any doubts, questions or needs that may arise as you use the device.
We work with Oticon, one of the sector’s leading brands, whose hearing aids feature a chip that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect the sound that needs to be amplified while reducing other noises that are not relevant at that specific moment. We offer models of hearing aids for all auditory and aesthetic needs, with different sizes based on the required amplification strength. Our hearing aids are rechargeable, making them easier to use by the elderly or those with hand mobility problems, as there is no need to change the batteries as often.
At Òptica Balear’s audiology service, which you can find in our opticians located at Rambla de Palma and s’Arenal, you can also purchase related products such as custom-made earplugs for swimming and headphones for listening to the television especially designed for people with considerable hearing problems.
Things to know about hearing aids
How do I know if I need a hearing aid?
If you think that your hearing isn’t very good or it isn’t as good as you would like it to be, visit a hearing specialist or a hearing centre to have it examined by a professional and try out a hearing aid.
Loss of hearing may have some serious consequences, so it’s important to identify its cause and evaluate the exact type of hearing loss that you are suffering from in order to more accurately decide on a treatment option. In most cases, hearing aids are used to help counter the effects of hearing loss, although in some cases, surgery or other procedures may be necessary.
I suffer from hearing loss. When should I start using a hearing aid?
There is no specific moment in which you should start using a hearing aid. Each individual must evaluate when to do so based on their hearing needs. You don’t have to wait for your hearing loss to reach a certain level in order to start using a hearing aid. If you have difficulty hearing and understanding people in everyday situations, if not being able to hear well makes you feel uncomfortable or frustrated, or if it affects your ability to correctly carry out your work or interact with your surroundings, then now is the perfect time to assess whether or not you need to start using a hearing aid.
Using a hearing aid can significantly increase a person’s quality of life. You don’t have to wait until the hearing loss is severe in order to start using one. In fact, the opposite is true; using hearing aids during the early stages of hearing loss may help prevent problems later.
What advantages are there to using a hearing aid?
Even in minor cases of hearing loss, your hearing may still dramatically improve by using a hearing aid. Using a hearing aid will:
- Improve your ability to hear and understand speech.
- Make you feel more comfortable in social settings.
- Make it easier for you to hear other people.
- Make it easier for you to understand telephone conversations.
- Allow you to hear and understand conversations better when there is background noise.
- Make your own voice and those of others sound more natural.
- Allow you to enjoy music more.
- Make your hearing loss less noticeable to others.
I have been recommended to use a hearing aid. Where can I get one?
Hearing aids are health products that help combat hearing deficiency. They are not to be confused with hearing amplifiers, which are devices that simply amplify sound.
If a specialist has assessed your hearing loss and they have recommended that you use a hearing aid, next you’ll need to go to a hearing centre that provides us with a warranty, such as the Òptica Balear stores in La Rambla de Palma and s’Arenal. Hearing aids are not a one-size-fits-all product that you can buy just anywhere or on the internet. They are almost tailor-made and require a follow-up, a personal adaptation by an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser and auditory training for each individual.