How We Hear
To understand how we hear, we first need to understand a little bit about the anatomy of the ear, which is a very complex organ.

The Ear is Made up of Three Parts: -- (See Figure)
The Outer Ear
This is the visible part of the ear and includes the pinna (cartilage part on the side of the head) and the ear canal (external auditory meatus).

The Middle Ear
This starts at the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and houses three tiny ear bones collectively called the ossicles. The three separate ear bones are the malleus ("hammer"), incus ("anvil") and stapes ("stirrup").

The Inner Ear
The inner ear consists of two parts, the organ of hearing called the cochlea (a snail-shaped structure) and the organs of balance (the vestibular system).

There are hair cells and fluid inside the cochlea and there is fluid inside the balance system as well. The hair cells are so named because of tiny projections protruding from their top surface. These hair cells convert the sound energy into electrical energy that the brain eventually decodes as sound.

The organ of balance is split into two parts...the semi-circular canals and otolith organs. The balance organs also have hair cells but in this case convert "movement" energy into electrical energy.

The Cochleovestibular Nerve
This nerve sends nerve impulses (the electrical energy) from the cochlea and vestibular organs to the brain.

Any noise is made up of sound vibrations. Sound is essentially a disturbance (movement) of air molecules. These sound waves are collected by the pinna (outer ear) and travel down the ear canal to come into contact with the eardrum, causing the eardrum to vibrate. This vibration sets the ossicles into motion, which in turn causes movement of the inner ear fluid, which stimulates the hair cells in the cochlea to move. The signal is then transferred to the cochlear nerve and is then sent to the brain where the sound is interpreted into something meaningful such as a person talking, a dog barking or a telephone ringing.

If there is any kind of problem or abnormality anywhere along this pathway, sound may be distorted, dampened, processed incorrectly or simply not heard at all. Many options are available to help with hearing loss or sound processing problems, depending upon the type of hearing problem and the impact it has on communication.

These Options May Include:
• Medical intervention, which can include medications or middle ear surgery
• Counseling on communication strategies to compensate for hearing or understanding difficulties
• Assistive listening devices such as FM systems (auditory trainers), amplified telephones or personal listening systems
• Hearing aids
• Middle ear implants
• Cochlear implants