The Greek philosopher Aristotlein his book “De Anima” (“On the Soul”), was one of the first to catalog the five senses of human beings. Of these, many consider vision to be the most important, followed by hearing.
Despite being second on the list, having the ability to listen should not be underestimated. On the contrary, the human ear It is a complicated and fantastic organ that identifies tiny alterations in air pressure produced by sound waves. The ear easily perceives a wide variety of tones and volumes and identifies where they come from.
Both eye doctors and audiologists need advanced academic training and high-tech equipment to correctly measure when there are problems with these two senses. But unlike vision, hearing tests are completed in a small, isolated room so that outside noises don’t affect the sounds of the test.
For many people, that little room is not a problem. But for people who suffer from claustrophobia, getting a hearing test is an ordeal..
The word claustrophobia combines the prefix cloister (from the Latin “claudere”, meaning to close or closed) and the suffix phobia (from the Greek “phobos”, meaning fear or panic). From here comes the definition of the word claustrophobiawhich is a feeling of aversion or panic about being in closed places.
This condition is not a simple fear, but causes an intense and uncontrollable physiological reaction, which could include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, excessive sweating, and headache. For a person impaired due to claustrophobia, it is almost impossible to concentrate on a hearing test.
In a study published in the journal Military Medicinea group of researchers compared conventional audiological examinations with two new technologies that do not require a noise-insulated room.
In the study, researchers used special hearing aids with an advanced sound cancellation system that isolates the patient from outside noises. One of the systems, called “Wireless Automated Hearing Test Systems” (WAHTS) is manufactured in the state of New Hampshire. The other system is called Kuduwaveis manufactured in South Africa and is distributed internationally.
Hearing Conservation Program Doctors United States Department of Defensewho conducted the research, gave 58 patients conventional hearing tests and another 60 were tested with WAHTS hearing aids. One year later, all patients received a conventional hearing test.
After calculating the difference between the test parameters, they concluded that both are statistically similar. This means that the results are equally good, both for examining tones or frequencies, and the volume level of sounds..
Likewise, it was demonstrated that the use of tests with WAHTS and Kuduwave hearing aids has additional benefits than helping claustrophobic people. If the patient or audiologist cannot travel to the clinic, the patient can receive the hearing aids for testing while the audiologist monitors them remotely from their office. This would be beneficial for people who are bedridden or have mobility problems, as they could be tested from home..
One of the limitations of the new hearing aids is that they are calibrated manually, unlike conventional hearing testing, which could take longer before starting the work day. Despite this limitation, WAHTS and Kuduwave tests are an alternative that is available in the metropolitan area of Saint John. Consult your audiologist for more details.
The author is a member of Science Puerto Rico and professor of physics and science education at Morehead State University, Kentucky.