Bilateral Application: Two Ears Are Better Than One

Two ears are better than one!

Normal hearing: Nature has provided all mammals with two equally functional ears as their main means of survival to locate prey and hear an enemy or approaching danger.

For us today, hearing with two ears is necessary to survive the traffic and crowds and to distinguish speech in our noisy culture. For many, proper hearing with two ears means the difference between hearing or hearing and understanding.

Have you now seen anyone wearing a single pair of glasses? Monocles were abolished when the advantages of balanced vision with two eyes became apparent. Similarly, hearing assistance in both ears has the same advantages.

Hearing with two ears helps you to act to your maximum ability because you can:

• Detect sound.

The ability to locate the origin of sound depends on two equal functional ears. For example – we hear a car approaching. How do we know from which direction? Nature tells us because the approaching sound comes a few microseconds earlier in the nearest ear than in the other ear. These minute differences transmitted to the brain by the two ears allow it to make the vital conclusion about the car’s location. If only one ear is working, this necessary information does not reach the brain.

• Have better understanding in noisy places.

Hearing with two ears helps avoid background noise and improves understanding. Uneven hearing in two ears is a big disadvantage in noisy environments. A hearing aid may help in quiet but not in noise. Only two hearing aids maximise understanding in noise.

• Listen with less volume.

A sound in two ears seems louder than a sound of the same volume given in only one ear. Consequently, the user of two headphones sets the volume control of each lower, resulting in more pleasant sound and less noise. Hear the same from both sides. Wearing two headphones allows you to respond to conversation equally on the right and left with great ease.

• Enjoy better sound quality.

Wearers of two headphones report many additional benefits: more natural sound quality, relief from hearing strain, and improved ability to hear and respond correctly. All hard of hearing people can benefit from stereo hearing aid fitting. With few exceptions, all hard of hearing people can enjoy the improvement of stereo hearing whether they have a large or small hearing loss.

Enjoy the benefits of dual fitting:

• Hear with two ears as nature intended
  
• Understand better in noisy environments
  
• You can hear better in two-way hearing in a soundproof environment
  
• Enjoy a normal social life
  
• Hear with less volume, therefore more clearly

Article source: Greek Association of Hearing Care Professionals www.akouste.gr