Some important points to consider
Untreated hearing loss has far-reaching consequences in psychosocial, emotional, physical, cognitive, and behavioral domains of one’s life. World Health Organization estimates indicate that hearing loss is the second leading cause of years lived with a disability at a global level. In order to ameliorate the burden of impaired hearing, the most common method of rehabilitation is to provide listeners with good quality hearing instruments coupled with ongoing counselling. For most individuals with bilateral hearing impairment, the body of evidence collected across nearly 3 decades of research has found that the provision of 2 compared with 1 hearing aid yields significant benefits for the listener. Although research continues to more fully understand why listening with two ears compared with one ear is advantageous for most listeners, much has already been learned. All listeners rely heavily on the fact that humans come equipped with two ears.
Benefits associated with bilateral hearing instrument use
1.Better understanding of speech in quiet and in noisy listening situations.
2.Better sound localization
3.Improved more natural sound quality
4.Decreased listening effort and resulting fatigue
5.Reduced auditory deprivation (long term cognitive changes) in aided, compared with unaided ears
6.Increased consumer satisfaction
7.Higher scores on measures assessing self-perceived quality of life
8.When given the choice, bilaterally hearing-impaired individuals strongly prefer bilateral instead of unilateral hearing aid fittings
