Hearing aid fitting for visual and hearing impaired patients with Usher syndrome type IIa.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Usher syndrome is the leading cause of hereditary deaf-blindness. Most patients with Usher syndrome type IIa start using hearing aids from a young age. A serious complaint refers to interference between sound localisation abilities and adaptive sound processing (compression), as present in today's hearing aids. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of advanced signal processing on binaural hearing, including sound localisation.

Design and participants

In this prospective study, patients were fitted with hearing aids with a nonlinear (compression) and linear amplification programs. Data logging was used to objectively evaluate the use of either program. Performance was evaluated with a speech-in-noise test, a sound localisation test and two questionna

SUBMITTER: Hartel BP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5516239 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature