At the end of March my younger brother experienced a catastrophic medical event. Though he miraculously survived, he ended up partially blind from a hemorrhagic stroke in the occipital lobe of his brain. I recently spoke to him about his recovery. We discussed an experimental therapy that could potentially heal the damage to his brain and restore his eyesight. He expressed that he realized how negatively his vision loss was impacting him when he tried to play a ball game with his young sons. He said it was very difficult to follow and interact with the ball and his children due to his blind spot. Not being able to see objects with both eyes makes it impossible to have depth perception.

Our conversation then turned to the similarities between depth perception in vision and directionality in hearing. Being able to perceive both the depth and direction of travel of an object requires being able to see with at least two eyes (creatures with more than two eyes, such as spiders, can track even more accurately and have extraordinary hunting and defense skills.) Similarly, determining the location of a sound source requires having at least two points picking up the sound. The shape and placement of our ears help us to determine the location of a sound source. Any deficit in hearing ability in one or both ears that results in asymmetrical hearing will make it difficult in some, if not all situations to determine what direction a sound comes from.

Being able to determine sound direction is critical when it comes to hearing in noise. The inability to determine a sounds direction prevents the brain from separating sounds from different sources so all sounds merge together. When these sounds merge, they are perceived as coming from the same source and it is not possible to differentiate between them. When individuals experience this, they often become tired or overwhelmed and end up avoiding noisy situations. This avoidance can ultimately lead to depression, isolation and other mental and physical health problems.

In many instances hearing aids can improve and sometimes eliminate problems associated with directionality and hearing in noise. However, the complex process the brain goes through to separate and focus on sounds can be permanently lost with prolonged untreated hearing loss. The sooner hearing loss is treated, the more likely this ability is to be preserved. Treating hearing loss, or wearing hearing aids, has many significant long-term health benefits. The latest hearing aids utilize technology with multiple microphones, a DNN (Deep Neural Network) processor, and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to help individuals overcome difficulties with hearing in noise. Assistive listening devices can also help improve hearing in noise.

If you or someone you know is struggling with hearing loss, call us for a hearing test, consultation or second opinion. Also, if you would like to know more about how you can help Dr. Brandon Wilson who is a graduate of Fort Lupton High School, you can go to the following website, or use the
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www.givesendgo.com/DrWilsonBrainRecovery