You want to hear it all and not a miss a thing. A hearing problem can get in the way of so many parts of life. With technology advancing every day to improve hearing, there’s no reason not to be a part of all the fun.
At the USF Health Hearing and Balance Center, we help our patients live the best lives they can with advanced hearing and balance care. Our team of skilled otolaryngologists and audiologists are specially trained to help you with all aspects of ear health and disease. This includes a wide range of conditions such as hearing loss, ear infections, dizziness, balance problems, and congenital (birth) disorders of the ear. Our team of health care providers, including specialists in family medicine, preventive medicine, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, occupational medicine, sports medicine, pediatrics and other specialties. As an academic medical center, USF Health is a regional leader in audiology services.
Learn more about the USF Health Hearing and Balance Center Team, by clicking each provider below:
Please read below to learn more about the portions of the ear involved with hearing and balance, as well as the many services offered at USF Health.
Your ear consists of three major areas: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations at the eardrum. The eardrum and three small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. There, the vibrations pass through fluid in a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear (cochlea). Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted to your brain. Your brain turns these signals into sound.
Please click here to review: NIDCD: Journey of Sound to
the Brain
NIDCD: Journey of Sound to the Brain
It all starts with a comprehensive hearing evaluation. Testing your hearing allows us to determine the level of your hearing loss and your ability to understand speech. We offer a variety of assessments to test your hearing:
Following the hearing test, we will meet with you and your family to discuss the solution that’s right for you.
Hearing Test results are displayed on a graph called an Audiogram. An audiogram is a graph that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies.
To read this graph, loudness is measured on the vertical axis and low to high frequencies/pitches are measured on the horizontal axis. Normal hearing for an adult is 25dB HL or quieter (higher up) in the audiogram.
The hearing loss pictured can be described as: normal hearing 250-1000 Hz sloping to a mild to severe high frequency hearing loss
Our center offers hearing solutions that are more powerful, precise, and user-friendly than ever before. We have expertise in providing state-of-the-art hearing aids to ensure that patients are receiving superior listening comfort and the most advanced technology.
Communication is critical in life. Your job and social interactions are all more rewarding when you can communicate confidently – and hearing is vital to that. Research shows that people who get hearing devices benefit from:
At the USF Health Hearing and Balance Center, we offer Adult Auditory Rehabilitation & Counseling in the form of:
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids vs. Prescription Hearing Aids
Your balance organ is located within the 3 rings, semicircular canals, attached to your hearing organ (cochlea).
Dizziness can be described in a variety of ways: as if the room is spinning, you feel unsteady, or you are lightheaded. You might feel that you're going to fall down. These feelings can happen whether you're lying down, sitting, or standing.
Your eyes, ears, and proprioception must work normally for you to have normal balance. When any of these systems are not functioning well, you can experience dizziness and balance problems.
We offer several assessments to assess your dizziness and imbalance:
Osseointegrated implant devices (OID), also known as bone anchored hearing systems, are hearing solutions for patients with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness.
For these patients, sound is transmitted to the cochlea through vibration via bone conduction using an implanted device.
Evaluation and Implant Process:
We offer Oticon Medical and Cochlear Americas Osseointegrated devices.
USF Audiology Section also works with TGH in their Westshore Outpatient Clinic.
Diagnostic Services:
Hearing Rehabilitation Services
Contact:
The Auditory Rehabilitation and Clinical Trials (ARCT) Lab conducts studies in the areas of diagnostics, hearing health disparities, speech perception, cognition, and hearing rehabilitation through hearing aids and investigational medications. Our mission is to advance knowledge through interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service that improves the capacity of individuals, families, and diverse communities to promote productive, satisfying, healthy, and safe lives across the lifespan.
Contact Us:
arctlab@usf.edu
(813) 974-1262
Auditory Rehabilitation & Clinical Trials Laboratory Facebook Page
To make an appointment with the USF Health Hearing and Balance Center:
Phone (813) 821-8012
Fax: (813) 974-7586
Location:
Morsani Center (3rd floor)
13330 USF Laurel Drive
Tampa, FL 33612
Directions:
Please click here to review step by step driving directions
