FAQs

Acoustic nerve: The auditory nerve which runs from the inner ear to the brain.

Acuity: The clarity of sound.

Audio Dexter: The right ear.

Audio Sinister: The left ear.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs): ALDs are amplification systems that are designed for more specific listening situations e.g. personal amplifiers and alerting devices.

Audiogram: A graph showing the results of a hearing test. The axes display intensity vs. frequency.

Audiometer: The equipment used by a Bay Audiologist to assess hearing threshold and speech awareness of an individual.

Audiologist: A hearing healthcare professional who has gained a Master’s Degree (M.S. or M.A.) or Doctorate Degree (Au.D. or Ph.D.) in audiology.

Audiometrist: A hearing healthcare professional who has gained qualifications through TAFE and has been accredited with a professional body to provide hearing services.

Bilateral: When both ears are involved.

Binaural: When sound is presented to both ears.

Cochlea: The snail-shaped portion of the inner ear. The cochlea contains hair cells and nerve endings that convert a sound into an electrical charge as it travels to the brain.

Conductive hearing loss: Mechanical hearing loss, which prevents sound vibrations from travelling to the cochlea.

Congenital hearing loss: Hearing loss present at birth.

Decibel: A decibel is the unit that represents the relative loudness of a sound.

Degenerative hearing loss: Hearing loss that worsens over time.

Ear Canal: The externally visible auditory canal.

Eardrum: A layer of skin that keeps the ear canal and the middle ear separate, and converts sound waves into vibrations.

Exostosis: A growth of bone in the ear canal.

Hearing aid: An electronic device that makes sound more audible by amplifying it.

Hearing aid specialist: A hearing aid specialist is not an audiologist. They are a hearing healthcare professional who holds a licence allowing them to dispense hearing aids.

Hearing disorder: Any disruption to the normal auditory process.

Hearing loss: The inability to perceive sound at normal hearing levels.

Inner ear: The snail-shaped portion of the inner ear, also known as the cochlea. It contains hair cells and nerve endings that convert a sound into an electrical charge as it travels to the brain.

Microphone: The mechanism inside a hearing aid that converts sound waves into an electrical signal ready for amplification.

Middle ear: The portion of the human ear between the outer and the cochlea. The middle ear uses the eardrum to transfer sound via the ear canal to the cochlea.

Outer ear: The visible part of the ear.

Oval window: An area between the middle ear and the inner ear that sound vibrations pass through.

Reverberation: The sound ‘bounce’ inside an enclosed room.

Sensorineural hearing loss: Hearing loss caused by damage to an auditory nerve or the cochlea.

Tinnitus: Constant buzzing or ringing in the ear.

Vertigo: A sensation of dizziness or spinning experienced by individuals with inner ear problems.