Audiology Services
If you are not sure, book the hearing test. Almost everything else follows from the audiogram, and it also rules out the reversible causes before anyone starts talking about devices. Roughly one in three adults between 65 and 74 has some age-related hearing loss, by the NIDCD's estimate. We see patients decades younger than that most weeks.
Both offices, San Mateo and San Carlos, do all of it. Call 650-342-9449 and say what is going on, and whoever answers will tell you which appointment you need and how long it takes.
At a glance
- If you are not sure what to book, book the hearing test. The audiogram decides everything after it.
- We verify every hearing aid fitting with real-ear measurement, because manufacturer first-fit settings routinely miss prescriptive targets.
- We repair and service most major brands in-house, whether or not the devices were bought here.
- San Mateo and San Carlos both offer the full list. Call 650-342-9449 and we will tell you which appointment you need.
Diagnostic hearing evaluations
The starting point. Our hearing testing uses pure-tone audiometry, speech testing, tympanometry and otoacoustic emissions to establish the degree, the type and the likely cause of any loss. We go through the audiogram with you on screen, and we check for reversible causes before assuming anything is permanent. Allow about an hour.
Hearing aids and fitting
Choosing the device is the easy half. The hearing aid fitting is where the result is decided: we program the aids to your prescription, then confirm with real-ear measurement and live speech mapping that what reaches your eardrum matches your targets across pitches, check the physical fit, and fine-tune at follow-up as you adapt. Manufacturer first-fit settings routinely fall short of prescriptive targets. That is the most consistent finding in the fitting literature and the reason we measure. We fit and verify current technology from every major manufacturer, which you can browse by brand.
Tinnitus consultation and sound therapy
Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, buzzing or hissing with no external source. It often accompanies hearing loss and it can occur on its own. Our tinnitus care covers evaluation, counselling and sound-based approaches, and several of our audiologists hold the American Board of Audiology certificate in tinnitus management. For many patients, well-fitted hearing aids reduce tinnitus simply by restoring ambient sound, and most current devices carry sound therapy your audiologist can enable.
Earwax removal
Impacted cerumen is the most common reversible cause of muffled hearing and a plugged ear. Our earwax removal is performed under direct visualisation after an examination of the canal and eardrum, which clears buildup that at-home kits cannot reach and that they often push deeper. We also do it for hearing aid wearers whose receivers keep clogging.
Hearing aid repair and maintenance
We clean, maintain and repair most major brands in-house, whether or not you bought them from us. Receivers, wax filters, tubing, microphone ports and battery contacts are usually same-visit work. When a fault has to go back to the manufacturer we handle the paperwork and tell you what it will cost before it goes. Regular cleaning visits prevent most of the failures we see.
Hearing protection
Preserving the hearing you have is worth as much as treating what you have lost, and noise damage does not come back. We make custom hearing protection for noisy work, music, shooting and other high-noise settings, moulded to your ears so it is comfortable enough that you actually wear it. Off-the-shelf foam only works when it is in.
Follow-up and communication strategies
Fitting hearing aids is the beginning of the work. We schedule follow-up visits to adjust as your brain adapts, and we teach the practical communication skills that devices do not cover: where to sit in a restaurant, how to set up a room, what to ask other people to do. Our resources page lists the training programmes we enrol patients in.
Frequently asked questions
What patients often want to know
Where do I start if I think I have hearing loss?
With a diagnostic hearing evaluation. It establishes whether there is a loss, its degree and type, and its likely cause, and it rules out reversible problems like impacted wax. Everything else, hearing aids and tinnitus care included, follows from that picture.
Do you service hearing aids I bought elsewhere?
In most cases, yes. We clean, maintain and repair most major brands, and we can reprogram and verify them. Bring the devices in and we will tell you what we can do in the office and what has to go back to the manufacturer, with the cost before we send it.
Do you treat tinnitus even without hearing loss?
Yes. Tinnitus occurs with or without measurable hearing loss. We evaluate it, check for the red flags that warrant a medical referral, and discuss counselling and sound-therapy options that suit your situation.
Which office should I visit?
Both San Mateo and San Carlos offer the same services. Choose whichever is easier to reach. You can book at either through our contact page or by calling 650-342-9449.
I have a quote from another clinic. Will you look at it?
Yes, free of charge and with no obligation to buy from us. Our second opinion on a hearing aid quote tells you what technology level you are being sold, what is bundled into the price, and whether the fitting includes verification.