If you have been diagnosed with hearing loss, the graph you get that shows your results can say a lot about how your hearing issues are configured. Not only can it show us what specific frequencies of sound you find challenging, but it will also indicate whether your hearing loss exists in one ear (unilateral hearing loss) or both ears (bilateral hearing loss). If your hearing loss is bilateral, your audiogram can also determine if the hearing loss is similar between the two ears (symmetrical loss) or if it has significant differences (asymmetrical loss).
There are a plethora of options for treating bilateral hearing loss effectively through hearing aids. We will almost always recommend a pair of hearing aids for bilateral hearing loss.
You may, however, wonder if one hearing aid could effectively do the work of two. Unfortunately, for most people with bilateral hearing loss, using only a single hearing aid will significantly detract from the advantages hearing aids can offer.
Here are three ways that two hearing aids are better than one.
Two hearing aids are better at locating sound
Just as we use both our eyes to achieve proper depth perception, we need both ears for our spatial sense of sound. Our brain can attune itself to the slight lag between when a sound wave reaches the ear it is closest to and the ear it is farthest from. By processing this information, our brain can triangulate the direction a sound comes from.
When only one ear is involved in hearing, we lose most of our ability to place sounds in space. If we don’t directly see the noise source, such as a person’s lips moving to talk or someone dropping a spoon on the floor, a sound source can be challenging to find and confusing to understand. Selective hearing is the process where our auditory system prioritizes what we hear, allowing us to focus on a conversation while ignoring background noise.
Today, hearing aids take advantage of the way bilateral hearing functions to emulate selective hearing better than ever before, but they need two hearing aids. By treating hearing loss with only one hearing aid, the untreated ear can seldom pull its weight in helping with the spatial sense of sound. A single hearing aid is also unable to assist much with restoring our selective hearing abilities.
Two hearing aids sound better
Not only is sound location better with two hearing aids, but your sound quality will also improve when using a pair of devices as well. When a single hearing aid is used to compensate for bilateral hearing loss, the volume has to be set higher than on the hearing aids of a balanced pair. The louder volume on a single hearing aid has disadvantages. Sudden loud noises can be jolting, and higher volume is more prone to feedback.
Using two hearing aids at a more moderate volume can offer you a better hearing range and more reliable sound quality. A set of hearing aids also gives a more “natural” feeling to your hearing and can be better used to treat tinnitus issues if they are present.
Two hearing aids avoid a weakening of the other ear
Another downside of opting for a single hearing aid instead of a pair is its effect on the ear that gets left untreated. While using a hearing aid on a single ear exacerbates that ear’s hearing loss and makes the untreated ear weaker.
With any hearing loss, the brain reorganizes itself to compensate for missing information and repurpose unused resources. When one ear is significantly more potent at hearing than the other, cognitive connections are gradually pulled away from the weaker ear, making the hearing loss even more pronounced. Using a single hearing aid hastens more profound hearing loss in the untreated ear, so your hearing becomes unbalanced.
Treating Your Hearing Loss
Are you looking for hearing care that understands your needs and can help you find the best hearing solutions? Our team is here for you. When it comes to finding suitable therapies for hearing rehabilitation, we can match you with the suitable options for your hearing and lifestyle, with a wide selection of devices from the top brands in hearing care. So don’t delay – if you have questions about your hearing, contact us today!