Patient's question:
My child is now one year old. We just discovered that he is deaf, so we took him to the hospital for a thorough examination. The doctor said it is congenital deafness. What should I do? How many levels of disability is this? Can it be treated? How much will it cost? Will I still need to wear a hearing aid after treatment?Doctor's answer:
Guidance: Consideration of hearing aids can be given, generally requiring a detailed and thorough examination by an otolaryngologist or audiologist before proper use. Those with average hearing loss in the speech frequency range of 35 to 80 dB can use them; a hearing loss of around 60 dB is approximately most effective. Unilateral epilepsy generally does not require the use of hearing aids. For bilateral epilepsy, if the degree of hearing loss in both ears is roughly the same, binaural hearing aids can be used, or a single hearing aid can be alternately worn on the left and right ears. If the hearing loss in both ears differs significantly but is not below 50 dB in either ear, it is advisable to provide a hearing aid for the poorer ear. If one ear has a hearing loss below 50 dB, the better ear should be fitted with a hearing aid.