Orlando ENT Hearing Center

Hearing loss is prevalent among individuals over 50. Orlando ENT Hearing Center is a leading Orlando resource for hearing loss diagnosis and treatment. Our Hearing Center treats patients from babies to the elderly. Our Orlando ENT Hearing Center offers the most advanced diagnostic tests to identify the source of the hearing loss and establish a custom treatment plan to enhance your hearing, and your quality of life.

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Hearing and quality of life – we are here to help.

Seventeen percent (17%) of all Americans say they have difficulty hearing. Less than half of all Americans have ever had a hearing test. Age-related hearing loss is associated with depression in older people. Children with hearing loss may have delayed speech development. It is never too early or too late to take care of your hearing loss.

Hearing is our specialty.

Your hearing health is our specialty, and we look forward to helping you with an array of hearing solutions. We carry state of the art hearing aids, compatible with smart phones and nearly invisible to the naked eye. Our hearing professionals are here to assist you.

Meet Our Providers

Your journey to better hearing starts here.

Hearing consultation

Our professionals at Orlando ENT Hearing Center can provide you with a private consultation about your specific hearing condition.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. It affects one in five people and is a symptom of an underlying condition, including hearing loss, noise exposure, circulatory disorder, cerumen impaction, head or ear injuries, stress, depression, or a side effect of some medications.

There is currently no proven cure for most cases of chronic tinnitus, however there are excellent tools and strategies to help you manage the condition. The advanced techniques we offer include changing the perception, presence, emotional impact, and burden of the tinnitus. Roughly 60 percent of patients have reported they achieved some relief when wearing hearing aids and 22 percent reported a significant level of relief.

Hearing aids

Orlando ENT Hearing Center offers a range of the best hearing devices, including state-of-the-art major brand hearing aids. Your hearing consultant will determine the best device for your specific hearing loss. All hearing aids include a 30-day trial period, a two- or three-year manufacturer’s warranty and lifetime in-office service.

Balance testing

Balance testing can help us determine the cause of balance issues such as vertigo, feeling faint, lightheadedness, unsteadiness, dizziness, blurriness, and confusion.

Cleaning and adjustments

Our services include lifetime cleaning and adjustments and parts/supplies within the manufacturer’s warranty. Real ear measures will be conducted as needed.

Hearing loss specialists in Orlando, FL

People of any age can experience hearing loss, from infants to adolescents, and adults. The type of hearing loss will determine which treatment is needed. Our specialists, including our board-certified audiologist, perform a set of advanced diagnostic tests to identify the underlying condition to plan treatment.

Our team of hearing specialists

Our Hearing Center has been established to serve the Orlando community in all types of hearing conditions in both adults and children. Our team of certified audiologists, along with our ear, nose, and throat specialists, Dr. Bibliowicz, Dr. Waizenegger, Dr. Harrington, and Dr. Rabaja allows us to diagnose and treat complex hearing conditions that may require surgery or other advanced procedures.

Types of hearing loss

Sudden deafness

When hearing loss occurs suddenly, it is termed “sudden sensorineural hearing loss.” The symptoms of this condition involve a sudden, rapid, loss of hearing, either all at once, or over several days, typically in just one ear. The symptoms indicating this condition include feeling as if the ear is full, hearing a popping sound followed by deafness in the ear, dizziness, or ringing in the ear. This condition may occur due to several causes:

Ear infections, bacterial or viral
Inner ear disorders
Head impacts

Chronic inflammation
Side effect of some medications
Blood circulation problems

Neurological conditions, MS
Meniere’s disease

Immediate medical intervention is essential in cases of sudden hearing loss. If you or a loved one is experiencing this condition, we urge you to schedule an appointment with Orlando ENT Associates at once, as the hearing loss may become permanent if not treated at once.

Conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss is when the sound is unable to reach an inner structure of the ear called the “cochlea.” The ear may be blocked by earwax, the eardrum may be damaged, the bone structure within the ear may have problems, or fluid has entered between the eardrum and inner ear (cochlea). Conductive hearing loss is most often treatable.

Mixed hearing loss

Mixed hearing loss is a condition that includes both sudden deafness (sudden sensorial hearing loss) and conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss may affect one or both ears. Mixed hearing loss can occur due to genetic factors, aging, high-decibel sounds, a side effect of some medications, tumors, head trauma, earwax, ear infections, or a condition occurring at birth.

Hearing testing

At Orlando ENT Hearing Center, we perform advanced testing to identify the underlying cause of hearing loss. The tests administered may include:

Pure Tone Test: This test involves sending a series of tones to headphones. Our audiologist will alter the pitch of the tones emitted and will ask for your response to the sound. The test reveals the quietest sounds you can hear in different tones.
Acoustic Reflex Measures, or “MEMR” (middle ear muscle reflex): This test measures the ear’s response to loud sounds: This test involves putting a rubber tip into your ear. A set of louder sounds are emitted by the device and recorded. This test records when a sound has triggered a reflex in your ear.
Tuning fork test: A tuning fork, when tapped, emits a specific sound. The tuning fork may be placed behind your ear or on the top of your head. As the tuning fork emits the sound, you are asked to respond as to when you hear it. This test can reveal whether the hearing loss you are experiencing is in one or both ears.
Speech and word recognition test: This test is geared to determine your ability to hear speech. The test is administered with headphones, through which the audiologist will speak and ask you to repeat simple words, which are spoken at varying volumes.
Tympanometry test: This test involves a small device being placed in your ear. The device pushes air into the ear structure to move the eardrum, with a machine recording the back-and-forth motion. This test can identify an ear infection, fluid or wax buildup, or damage to the eardrum, such as a hole or tear.

Surgery to repair hearing

Some hearing loss conditions will require surgery to repair, such as a perforated eardrum. The surgeries we perform include:

Tympanoplasty: This surgery involves placing a graft to repair a perforated eardrum.
“Ear tubes,” or myringotomy with tympanostomy tube placement: This is a surgery to treat recurring ear infections, often performed on children. A small hole is created in the eardrum, through which a tube is inserted to help avoid ear infections by increasing fluid drainage.
Ossiculoplasty: A procedure to repair the small bones of the inner ear.
Vestibular nerve section: The nerve connecting the balance and movement sensors to the brain, called the vestibular nerve, can be performed to correct serious vertigo without affecting hearing.
Cochlear implant: An implant is placed through an incision behind the ear. This approach may be appropriate for severe hearing loss that can’t be resolved with hearing aids.
Labyrinthectomy: This surgery may be performed to treat Meniere’s disease and the ongoing vertigo episodes. The balance portion of the ear is removed.

A full scope of ENT services

We welcome you to our warm, friendly hearing center in Orlando, where you can be confident that you will be under the care of a team of medical professionals skilled in treating all types of hearing conditions. Our scope of other services include:

Ear surgery
Nasal and sinus surgery
Allergy treatments
General ENT services
Head and neck cancer

Read through our common questions and answers.

Is there a trial period for my hearing aid purchase?

All patients of Orlando ENT Hearing Center receive a 30-day trial period when they purchase new hearing aids. This allows time to adjust to the fit and amplification. During the trial period, we ask patients to visit us at least three times so we can make any adjustments. After that, we recommend regular follow-up visits at six month intervals. You may also schedule an appointment at any time you have a question or concern.

Should I have periodic checkups?

As with all health related issues, you should visit your audiologist regularly. We recommend a 6 month schedule to be sure your hearing aids are working as intended. Also, earwax can accumulate more quickly when you wear hearing aids, and regular visits allow us to remove it. Orlando ENT Hearing Center recommends having a complete hearing evaluation annually.

How do I care for my hearing aid?

Like any electronic/mechanical equipment, maintenance and careful handling will help your hearing aids last longer. Our team at Orlando ENT Hearing Center suggest the following:

Clean your hearing aids every day. Use the provided brush and lint free cloth to clean your hearing aids.
Keep your hearing aids dry. don’t leave them in humid places, and don’t wear them when you take a shower or go swimming.
Change your batteries regularly.
Change your earwax filter regularly.

Handle your hearing aid carefully. If you have any problems with your hearing aids, we are available to assist you.

What are the signs of hearing loss?

The best way to know for sure whether or not you have hearing loss is to have a hearing test performed by the audiologists at Orlando ENT Hearing Center. These are some signs of hearing loss that you may be experiencing.

It is difficult to hear and/or understand family and friends.
It is difficult to follow conversations in rooms with background noise.
You are experiencing ringing in the ear.
You have difficulty hearing people on the telephone.
You ask people to repeat themselves often.
You need to have the TV or radio at a higher volume than before.

Are there different types of hearing loss?

There are two main types of hearing loss. A trained Audiologist at Orlando ENT Hearing Center can diagnose and offer treatment alternatives for each type.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss occurs when there is a problem with the Outer or Middle Ear. This problem interferes with the passing sound to the Inner Ear. Some causes are:

too much earwax,
ear infections
a punctured eardrum
a fluid build-up
abnormal bone growth in the Middle Ear

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural Hearing Loss occurs when the hearing organ, the Cochlea, and/or the auditory nerve is damaged or malfunctions. This causes the ear to be unable to accurately send information to the brain.

Why do I need two hearing aids?

Using two hearing aids is preferred in most situations. The benefits include:

Binaural Loudness Summation: Using two hearing aids give the ability to hear from both ears louder than you would if you only heard through one ear. This means you can turn the volume down and still hear as clearly because both ears are working together.
Binaural Deprivation: This means that the ear that isn’t wearing a hearing aid might actually lose more hearing and ability to understand of speech because it is not being used.
Localization: This is the ability to tell where sound is coming from. It is increased with the use of two hearing aids.