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When one ear hears well and the other doesn't, everyday listening can become surprisingly tiring. Voices on your weaker side fade out, restaurants feel louder than they should, and you may find yourself choosing seats carefully just to keep up with the conversation. Hearing aids for one-sided hearing loss, known as CROS and BiCROS systems, are designed for exactly this situation.
Your two ears work as a team to help you tell where a sound is coming from and pick out speech when there's background noise. When one ear has little or no usable hearing, your head blocks part of the sound arriving from that side before it reaches the better ear, which audiologists call the head shadow effect. A coworker on your left in a meeting or a friend at the far end of a busy table can become hard to follow.
Hearing loss in one ear has many possible causes, including sudden sensorineural hearing loss, inner ear conditions, viral infections, head injuries, and growths on the hearing nerve. Because some need medical care, any change deserves a thorough evaluation, and a sudden drop in hearing in one ear should be seen by a medical provider right away.
CROS stands for Contralateral Routing of Signals. The system has two pieces. A small transmitter, worn on the ear with poor hearing, picks up sound from that side and sends it wirelessly to a device on your better ear, where you hear it.
A CROS system is generally a fit when the better ear has normal or near-normal hearing. The transmitter doesn't restore hearing in the weaker ear. It gives you access to sounds that would otherwise be lost on that side.
Many people with one poorer ear also have some hearing loss in their better ear. A BiCROS system handles both needs. The transmitter on the weaker side works the same way, and the device on the better ear is a full hearing aid that amplifies sound from both sides based on the hearing loss in that ear.
Choosing between CROS and BiCROS depends on the test results for each ear, which is why a complete hearing evaluation always comes first.
Both platforms also include Bluetooth connectivity, so streaming calls and audio is possible with a CROS or BiCROS setup, and we can review how it works with each system.
Dr. Julie Link may talk with you about a CROS or BiCROS system when your hearing evaluation shows a pattern like one of these:
Your daily life shapes the recommendation too, especially if you regularly miss conversation on one side at work, at the dinner table, or in the car.
These systems help most with hearing speech from your weaker side. They don't fully restore the ability to locate where sounds come from, and in noisy places, noise from your poorer side is sent to your better ear along with speech. Dr. Link reviews these tradeoffs with you, and follow-up adjustments help fine-tune how the system responds in the places you spend your time.
At The Audiology METHOD, your care begins with listening. As an independent practice, we consider all brands and options available, and Dr. Link takes time to understand your health history and the listening situations that matter most to you. Your care includes a thorough hearing evaluation and, when hearing aids are an option, a Communication Needs Assessment. We believe in education and shared decision-making, so you can choose the solution that feels right for you.
If one ear has been holding you back, we'd be glad to help you explore your options. Call The Audiology Method at (720) 457-1763 to schedule a visit at our office on E. Orchard Road in Centennial.
