FAQ

A hearing aid is an electronic device that can receive and amplify incoming sounds for people with hearing impairment to aim for better sound understanding through proper amplification. 助聽器是一部能夠接收及放大外界聲音的電子儀器，透過適切的調校提升聽力受損人士對言語的理解能力。

If you have hearing loss and your hearing difficulty is affecting your daily communication, you may consider using hearing aid(s). Prior to that, it is recommended that you consult an ENT specialist to ensure that there are no medical complications associated with your hearing problems. Your audiological assessment should be conducted by an audiologist who can determine your degree and nature of hearing loss, and recommend choices of hearing aids and/or assistive listening devices to suit your listening needs.

如果你的聽力受損並開始影響日常的溝通，你便應該考慮選配助聽器。我們建議你先行諮詢耳鼻喉科專科醫生，確定聽力問題與其他疾病無關。聽力測試應由聽力學家進行，聽力學家會為您診斷聽力受損程度和性質，從而給予你在選配助聽器及/或聽力輔助儀器方面的建議。

Apart from the speaker’s voice, hearing aid amplifies environmental sounds as well. As the human brain needs some time to adapt to the amplified sounds, it is recommended that the hearing aid user get used to listening in typical quiet environment first before using the hearing aid in more challenging and adverse listening environments (e.g. in groups and/or in noise). Modern digital hearing aid technologies also facilitate listening in noisy environment through automatic noise reduction / cancellation features or let the hearing aid user switch to specific listening programmes in the hearing aid to enhance communication in such environment.

助聽器除了放大說話者的聲音之外，也會放大周遭的環境聲音。人的腦袋當然需要也一些時間去適應放大了的聲音，因此助聽器使用者應先習慣在一般較為安靜的環境使用助聽器，才逐步在其他較難聆聽的環境中使用助聽器（如小組或嘈雜環境）。近年助聽器的數碼科技也持續革新，具備自動噪音抑制功能或讓助聽器使用者選擇專為在噪音環境使用而設的聆聽程式，進一步提升溝通效果。

Hearing aid(s) should be prescribed by an audiologist who is the health-care professional specialising in the diagnosis and (re)habilitation of hearing and vestibular disorders. Audiologists can be found working in public service centres (including Hospital Authority, Department of Health, Education Bureau and Voluntary Organisations) or private hearing aid centres.

For public service centres, please refer to:
https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/public-centers-providing-audiological-services/

For the list of audiologists working in private hearing aid centres, please refer to:
https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/private-audiologists-list/

你應該找尋聽力學家選配助聽器。聽力學家是就聽力障礙作診斷和復康的醫療輔助專業人士，任職於公營服務中心（包括醫院管理局、衛生署、教育局及志願機構）或私營聽力中心。

有關公營服務中心的資料，可瀏覽以下網址： https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/public-centers-providing-audiological-services/

有關任職於私營聽力中心的聽力學家名單，可瀏覽以下網址： https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/private-audiologists-list/

It is not recommended to purchase non-prescribed hearing aid(s) from any shop without having your ears tested. Hearing aids should be adjusted according to individual degree of hearing loss and listening needs. A non-prescribed hearing aid may not provide optimal amplification for you, or you may be at risk of over-amplification that may damage your residual hearing. Please approach and consult your audiologist before purchasing your hearing aid.

我們不建議您在未經聽力測試之情況下就直接從任可店舖購買助聽器。助聽器是必須根據個人的聽力受損程度及聆聽需要而作出調校。未經合資格人士調校的助聽器未必能提供適合的聲量，或甚至令您因過高聲量而損害剩餘聽力。請諮詢您的聽力學家才購買助聽器。

There are a variety of hearing aid styles available on the market. Among them, the common styles include Behind-the-ear (BTE), In-the-ear / canal (ITE/ITC), Completely / Invisible-in-the-canal (CIC/IIC), Body-worn, and Open-fit (also known as Receiver-in-canal) hearing aids.

市面上提供多種助聽器款式，比較常見的包括耳後式 (BTE)，耳內 / 耳道式 (ITE/ITC)、全耳道式 (CIC)、袋裝式，以及開放式（或稱為 RIC）助聽器。

Hearing aids should be chosen according to the individual listening needs, subjective preferences, age, dexterity, cosmetic concern, severity and nature of the hearing loss.

Listening needs    Premium and high-end hearing aid models are equipped with more sophisticated digital speech processing technologies. However, they are more costly than entry and mid-level models.

Subjective preferences, age and dexterity    Some hearing aid users may prefer their hearing aids to be as invisible as possible. There are now a wide range of BTEs to suit different degree of hearing loss. Custom-made (ITE/ITC/CIC/IIC) hearing aids may not be suitable for young infants, and people with problems like dexterity, earwax or ear drainage.

Cosmetic concern    A custom-made hearing aid is smaller in size and plugged into the ear canal. On the other hand, a BTE / Open-fit hearing aid is now more fashionable as it looks just like an ear-worn bluetooth device.

Severity and nature of hearing loss    Although modern custom-made hearing aids are getting more powerful by utilizing more powerful receivers (up to 70dB), high-powered BTEs can still provide more gain (up to 80dB).

您應該根據自己的聆聽需要、個人喜好、年齡、手指靈敏度、外觀考慮、聽力受損的程度和性質去選擇助聽器。

聆聽需要    高階的助聽器型號備有更先進的數碼聲音處理科技，但是價格上會較高。

個人喜好、年齡、手指靈敏度    部分助聽器使用者希望助聽器越不容易讓人察覺越好。耳後式助聽器已經有不同的大小選擇，適合不同的聽力受損程度。度身訂制 (ITE/ITC/CIC/IIC) 的助聽器並不適合幼童，以及手指欠靈敏、耳垢或耳朵發炎的人士。

外觀考慮    為度身訂制的助聽器體積比較細小，佩戴時須放入耳道內，但現時的耳後式 / 開放式助聽器外觀已經比較時尚，看上去只像一部藍牙裝置。

聽力受損的程度和性質    現時為耳朵訂制的助聽器已可提供大功率的接收器(最高可達 70分貝)，但最大功率的耳後式助聽器可提供更強的增益 (最高可達80分貝)。

If you’re a first-time hearing aid user, please allow some time for yourself to get used to the amplified sounds. You could also make a follow-up appointment with your audiologist for any further fine-tuning of your hearing aid. Auditory training may sometimes be necessary for enhancing speech processing ability.

If you experience difficulty in listening even with your hearing aid over time, your hearing aid sensitivity may be changed. Please make a hearing test appointment with your audiologist to see if your hearing aid can be re-adjusted to suit your present listening needs.

For hearing aid users who need to listen in challenging situations like noisy environment, a digital or analog FM wireless sound transmission system may be beneficial. The talker’s voice is picked up directly from the microphone of the transmitter and then wirelessly directed to the receiver which is coupled to hearing aid user’s hearing aid(s). The Signal-to-noise ratio is enhanced while reducing any ambient noise interference.

如您是首次佩戴助聽器，請給予自己一些時間去適應透過助聽器放大的聲音。您也可以再聯絡協助您的聽力學家，對您的助聽器作微調，有時語言訓練也可提升辨識說話的能力。

如您在佩戴助聽器一段時間後仍察覺聆聽上出現困難，您的助聽器敏感度可能已經改變。請聯絡您的聽力學家進行聽力測驗，以便可將助聽器根據現時的聆聽需要進行調校。

對需要在一些嘈雜環境聆聽的助聽器使用者來說，選配數碼或模擬FM無線聲音傳輸系統會有所幫助。說話者的聲音會透過發射器的麥克風接收，然後透過無線科技傳送至接收器，並連接往所佩戴的助聽器。這樣可以增強訊噪比，減低受到環境雜聲的干擾。

I. Behavioural tests
a) Pure-tone audiometry: This test measures the sensitivity of hearing. During the test, the participant will listen to a range of pure tones of different frequencies and gives behavioural response such as pressing a button or raising his/her hand. Hearing thresholds will then be plotted on a graph called audiogram (a graph showing intensity as a function of frequency).
b) Speech audiometry: This test uses speech instead of pure tones as stimuli. During the test, the participant will listen to speech material such as monosyllabic words, short phrases or sentences and repeats the stimuli as accurately as possible. Speech material in the test will be given at different volume to measure the participant’s speech recognition threshold (SRT). This test provides information on how well one recognises speech.

II. Non-behavioural / objective or physiological tests
a) Immittance Audiometry:
i) Tympanometry: This test is used to inspect middle-ear functioning including the mobility of the eardrum and the conduction of middle-ear ossicles (bones in the middle ear). During the test, an earplug will be placed into the participant’s ear. The device will change the air pressure in the ear canal and thus measure the energy transmission through the middle ear.
ii) Acoustic reflex test: When presented with a high-intensity sound stimulus, the stapedius and tensor tympani muscles of the ossicles in the middle ear contract. This is an involuntary muscle contraction that occurs in the middle ear in response to high-intensity sound stimuli. This test evaluates the middle ear function.
c) Otoacoustic emission test: Otoacoustic emissions refer to the low-intensity sound produced by the cochlea. This test examines cochlear status in the inner ear, specifically, the outer hair cell function.
d) Evoked auditory potentials: This test measures the brain wave activity that occurs in response to sound. The response is collected through electrodes placed on the participant’s scalp and earlobes. This test helps diagnose nervous system problems and hearing loss.

I. 行為聽力檢查
a) 純音聽力檢查：量度聽覺靈敏度。進行檢查時，受試者會聽到不同音頻的純音，並以行動如舉手或按鈕作出反應。聽力閾值會根據分貝和頻率在聽力圖上標示出來。
b) 言語聽力檢查：此檢查讓受試者聆聽語音如單字、詞語或句子，並複述所聽到的語音材料。在檢查時，語音材料會以不同音量播出，以量度受試者的言語聽力閾值，即受試者可辨識語音材料的最低聽覺水平。此檢查可檢測受試者辨識語音的能力。

II. 非行為／客觀或生理聽力檢查
a) 導抗聽力檢查
i) 鼓室圖檢查：此檢查用於檢測中耳功能如耳膜活動和聽小骨傳導。檢查時會把一枚耳塞放進受試者的耳朵，儀器會改變耳道內的氣壓，從而量度通過中耳的能量傳輸。
ii) 聽反射檢查：當受強烈聲音刺激，中耳鐙骨肌和鼓膜張肌就會收縮。此肌肉收縮乃中耳對強烈聲音作出的反射反應。此檢查有助測試中耳功能。
c) 耳聲發射：耳聲發射是指耳蝸產生的微弱聲音。耳聲發射檢查檢測內耳耳蝸外毛細胞功能。
d) 聽覺誘發電位：此檢查透過貼在受試者皮膚和耳珠上的電極貼，量度聽到聲音時的神經電流反應，有助診斷聽力損失或神經系統問題。

Audiological assessments are available at hospitals (public or private), private hearing aid companies and certain voluntary organisations. For public centres that provides audiological services, please refer to this list: https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/public-centers-providing-audiological-services/ ; If you wish to look for a private audiologist, you may refer to this list: https://www.audiology.org.hk/public_info/private-audiologists-list/

公立或私家醫院、私家助聽器公司和某些志願團體都有提供聽力檢查服務。有關提供聽力服務的公營機構資料，請參考 https://www.audiology.org.hk/zh/public_info/public-centers-providing-audiological-services/ ；有關私人執業聽力學家資料，請參考 https://www.audiology.org.hk/zh/public_info/private-audiologists-list/ 。

An audiologist performs hearing tests.
Audiologists in general have a Master’s or Doctoral degree in the field of audiology with relevant clinical training, providing audiology services for persons of all ages including infants, children, adults and elderly with their expertise. Audiology is the study of the auditory system, including the hearing and balance functions. It covers auditory function, balance and other related systems, as well as the prevention, identification, assessment and rehabilitation of hearing. Audiology services include hearing test, public education on hearing protection, assessment and rehabilitation of balance functions and tinnitus, prescription and fitting of hearing assistive devices, etc.

聽力檢查及評估是聽力學家的專業範疇。

聽力學家普遍持有聽力學的研士或博士學位，並具備相關臨床經驗，憑其專業知識，為不同年齡人士，包括嬰兒、兒童、成年人及長者，提供聽力學服務。聽力學是有關聽力系統的學科，包括聽覺及平衡功能。其專業範圍涵蓋聽力、平衡與其他相關系統的障礙，及預防、確認、評估、與聽力復康治療。聽力學服務包括聽力檢查、保護聽覺的公眾教育、平衡功能及耳鳴評估和復康治療，以及助聽儀器驗配等。