What Can Be Done about Single Sided Deafness (SSD)?

Deafness doesn’t always affect both ears. Sometimes one ear is damaged, but hearing is relatively normal in the other. Hearing loss on one side makes speech hard to interpret and makes it difficult to tell from what direction sound is coming.

At one time, single-sided deafness (SSD) was challenging to treat, but these days there are better technology options. One alternative is a CROS system, which stands for contralateral routing of signal. With this technology, a microphone is placed on the non-hearing ear. The microphone picks up sounds and reroutes it to an amplifier on the good ear where the sound can be interpreted. You’re essentially channeling sound from the “bad ear” to the “good ear.” To get the benefits of CROS, you need decent hearing in one ear.

Another system called BiCROS is made for people who have almost complete hearing loss in one ear and a milder degree of hearing loss in the other. With BiCROS, you wear a hearing aid in the good ear that can also pick up sounds from the non-hearing ear.

CROS or BiCROS technology makes it easier to interpret speech when there is competing background noise. They can also help you better localize sound. With the most current systems, sound transmission between the good ear and the bad ear takes place wirelessly. Previous technology used a wire that connected the two devices around the back of the neck.

Another option for treating SSD is a BAHA, also known as a bone-anchored hearing aid. Unlike the other options, this method typically requires outpatient surgery, usually done under local anesthesia. The surgeon inserts a titanium implant into the skull with a small portion remaining on the outside of the skin to hold a removable sound processor. The sound processor picks up a sound and sends it by vibration to the bones of the skull, inner ear and, in turn, to the nerve that carries sound information to the brain. This technology provides a short-cut to the inner ear on both sides of the skull, so the good ear (or nerve) is able to make use of the sounds transmitted anywhere in the skull. There is no need for the sound to travel through the outer and middle ear.

Which option is right for you? A trained hearing care professional can test your hearing and talk with you about systems which may work best for you and your lifestyle.

References:

Cire, G. C. (2012). Understanding single-sided deafness: Evaluation and treatment for professionals. AudiologyOnline, Article 20917. Retrieved from the Articles Archive on www.audiologyonline.com