At the California Hearing Center, we perform a wide array of diagnostic tests to evaluate your hearing. We also have a variety of solutions to improve your hearing, manage your tinnitus, protect your hearing and to enhance your enjoyment of music. No matter what hearing solution you need, our team will be with you every step of the way. Get in touch with us or continue reading to learn more about our audiology services!

Approximately 48 million American have some degree of hearing difficulty.  One in three people between the ages of 65 and 74 has hearing loss.  It is not only older adults who have problems hearing, as we see many patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have difficulty hearing.  

Hearing involves an interrelationship between our ears, our brains and the outside world.  The overall capacity of our hearing depends on the interaction and strength each of these.  Hearing loss has been shown negatively to impact nearly every dimension of the human experience, including physical health, emotional and mental health, perception of mental acuity, social skills, family relationships, and self-esteem, as well as work and school performance.  When we maximize our hearing capacity and listening skills, we improve not just our hearing health but our overall health.

Tinnitus often accompanies hearing loss, but even people without hearing problems have tinnitus. It is commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but it also can sound like roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing. It may be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched. You might hear it in either one or both ears. Roughly 10 percent of the adult population of the United States has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year. This amounts to nearly 25 million Americans. If you are suffering from tinnitus, we welcome you to give us a call to schedule a tinnitus therapy appointment! We are proud to be your source of quality tinnitus relief.

A hearing evaluation is carried out to determine your individual hearing profile and your capacity for hearing.  We provide comprehensive services to improve your hearing loss and manage your tinnitus.  These include:

• Diagnostic hearing evaluation
• Cerumen removal and management
• Hearing device consultation, fitting and follow up
• Tinnitus consultation and sound therapy
• Auditory Brain Training
• Listening and Communication Skills

To learn more about how you can improve your hearing and communication with hearing devices, you are seen for a hearing aid consultation. 

You complete a Hearing History Questionnaire so we can know more about where you are having difficulty hearing and how your hearing problems are impacting you, and those around you, in your day-to-day life.   We complete a Hearing Health History together to learn more about when your hearing problems started, your medical ear history, tinnitus symptoms, balance problems and any medications you are taking.  We want to know about how well you are hearing the TV, telephone, music and anything else that is specific to your needs.

The majority of patients with both hearing loss and tinnitus get relief from the tinnitus via the amplification provided by hearing devices.  In addition, many hearing devices have a built-in sound therapy tool that can provide additional relief from tinnitus.   Your audiologist will discuss whether this is the right approach for you.

From this information, we determine what type of technology would benefit you and discuss your options. Hearing devices vary in shape, size, technology and cost. We make recommendations to fit your hearing needs, your lifestyle and your budget.

Hearing devices are customized to your individual hearing levels using a computer software program. A specific hearing “prescription” is uploaded into the devices and fine-tuned according to your needs and preferences. If your hearing changes in the future, the devices can be reprogrammed. To learn more about our hearing aid fitting, please feel free to contact one of our audiologists today!

After wearing the devices for a week or so, you return for follow up for additional fine tuning and verification testing.  We use Live Speech Mapping during the fitting process to ensure your devices are delivering the best sound levels to you.  A small microphone is placed in your ear canals to measure the sound in your ear.  The sound is adjusted based on the results and your preferences.

We provide ongoing cleaning and maintenance of your hearing devices to ensure you receive optimum performance and benefit from them. We encourage all of our patients to come in for regular follow-up and cleaning. When a hearing device breaks down, and the problem cannot be solved in the office, we send the device to the manufacturer for service. We can service most brands of hearing devices including Oticon, Widex, Phonak, ReSound, Starkey, etc.

Auditory brain training, also known as listening training, can enhance the benefit and effectiveness of your hearing aids. The training has shown to improve your listening skills and allows the brain to interpret new sounds more easily. The key to improving the benefit of your hearing in background noise is brain training. We use both the LACE (Listening and Communication Enhancement) and clEAR (Ears Train the Brain) listening programs.

People who wear hearing devices know they help tremendously, but they alone do not solve all communication problems. We have found the best success for hearing well comes from learning a few practical skills for better communication. We use the 5 Keys to Communication Success program to help you develop practical skills that you can rely on to help you hear no matter where you are.

For over 27 years, the team at California Hearing Center have been proud to be your source of quality audiology services. Whether you're dealing with hearing loss or tinnitus, we are here to help you through the process. Based in San Mateo and San Carlos, CA, our hearing doctor is proud to see patients throughout the Burlingame, Belmont, and Millbrae, CA area. Contact our offices today to schedule a hearing evaluation or tinnitus relief appointment!