This is what BBC said:

“People who are deaf or hard of hearing have long complained that going to watch a film can be an unsatisfactory experience, with subtitled films on at unsociable times and often suffering from technical problems. But a solution could soon available in the form of special glasses which allow the wearer to see subtitles directly in front of their eyes, giving them the freedom of choice afforded to hearing people.”

Check out the link and watch the video.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14654339

Dr. Robert Sweetow, a world renowned specialist in the area of ear, nose, throat, neck and head disorders, will be visiting South Africa in the month of October 2010. This branch of medicine is called Otolaryngology and Dr. Sweetow has a special interest in tinnitus which is the persistent or continual ringing sound experienced in the ear.

• Is Tinnitus disrupting your daily routine?
• Would you like to understand more about the condition?

You are welcome to attend this support work-shop. Dr. Sweetow will lead the support session. He will address your questions and reflect on therapeutic options for managing this symptomatic disorder.

Please confirm your attendance, by responding in any one of the following ways before 15 October 2010.

Email: tinnitus@widex.co.za
Fax: 086 682 9121
Share call: 0860 326 061

Date: 21st October 2010
Time: 11:00 – 1200
Venue: LT1, E Floor, Groote Schuur Hospital

Anti Vuvuzela campaigners are urging football clubs in Britain to keep the controversial horn out of their stadiums.

To some, they were the definitive sound of the World Cup, a celebration of African culture and must-have momento of this summer’s football festival; to others, they were just an irritating din. But now campaigners for hard-of-hearing people are urging football clubs in Britain to keep their stadiums free of the drone of the dreaded vuvuzelas when the new season kicks off next month.

They are warning that the blaring, horn-like sound from the instruments is so loud that fans of the nation’s favourite sport could suffer permanent hearing loss if fellow spectators at a match try to recreate the atmosphere from South Africa.

Read the full article here.

Pictured here are Christene Rogers, audiologist from UCT,  Andrea Lewis, our Executive Secretary and Betty Glaser.

Tinnitus is a condition that can impact on one’s life and is not easy for non-sufferers to comprehend.  It also can be something that can be very difficult to live with depending on the degree of severity.  Family members may not be able to understand and it could cause strain on a relationship.

If you live on your own, it can be a frightening experience and Betty felt that a support group could be of great assistance to anyone affected.  This would be the first such group in South Africa as far as was known, so if there are any Tinnitus sufferers out there who are interested in joining a group, please let us know.

View Betty’s Presentation on Tinnitus

“These findings may provide the first step toward regenerating spiral ganglion neurons, the nerve cells that send sound representations to the brain,” said Alain Dabdoub, PhD, co-author of the study and Assistant Professor of Surgery with the Division of Otolaryngology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. “This has significant implications for advances in cochlear implant technology and biological treatments for hearing loss.” Inside the cochlea, hair cells convert sound vibrations into electrical signals that are then sent on to the spiral ganglion cells. If these cells are lost or damaged, hearing loss occurs. Existing therapies for hearing loss are based either on increasing hair cell stimulation with hearing aids or introducing an electronic substitute for the hair cells with cochlear implants. In either case, the presence of working spiral ganglion neurons is required for a successful outcome.

Prior research shows that as few as 10 percent of the typical number of spiral ganglion neurons is sufficient for the success of cochlear implants. Finding out that Sox2 is involved in generating new working cells opens up the possibility of treating hearing loss with therapy that stimulates Sox2 into action. Sox2 is part of the SoxB1 family of proteins, which plays a significant role in neural development in the spinal cord and elsewhere. The study demonstrates a new role for Sox2 in ear development, showing that the protein is critical for the production of auditory neurons and that generating new neurons is possible.
The study was published in the 13th January issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

This provides the user with a convenient, wireless solution that is free from the interference and feedback often experienced due the interaction between the microphones in the hearing aid and the mobile phone.

Please note: in order to use HearIt Mobile with hearing aids in T-position (telecoil), the hearing aid must be equipped with a telecoil fitted by the hearing care professional.

She informed me that Vodacom only offer specific phones for people who have a visual impairment e.g. blind or low vision, they do not offer any products for people with a hearing loss e.g. phones that are telecoil enabled; airtime which can be used for sending sms’es etc.  I asked her when Vodacom would begin to start supporting the deaf/Deaf/HoH communities?  Mapoma did not have an answer and promised to take the matter up with her Supervisor.

Should we hold our breath??

Researchers have produced evidence, based on tests at a soccer match with blaring vuvuzelas, that the sound level inside a 2010 stadium could lead to permanent hearing damage. “The findings of this study demonstrate a real risk of noise-induced hearing loss,” they say in an article in the latest edition of the SA Medical Journal. The study was authored by Dr De Wet Swanepoel of the University of Pretoria’s department of communication pathology, and Dr James Hall of a sister department at the University of Florida.

They said they tested the hearing of 11 spectators before and after they attended a Premier Soccer League match at a FIFA-approved training stadium with 30 000 seats. During the match, ten of the 11 wore personal sound exposure meters fixed to their shoulders, and four of them blew vuvuzelas. The researchers said the average sound exposure experienced by the participants during the almost two hours they spent in the stadium was 100.5 decibels.

Get ready audiologists, you may need to extend your practice hours.

Read the full article here.