Dr. Schumaier invents new technology for Single-Sided Deafness

Have you – or has someone you know – lost the ability to hear on one side? If so, you're not alone. Each year over 50,000 individuals are diagnosed with "Single Sided Deafness" (SSD) in the U.S.

Single Sided Deafness is characterized by a significant sensorineural hearing loss in one ear, and normal hearing for most speech frequencies in the opposite ear.

TransEar is an elegant, affordable, and effective answer to SSD. It looks like a conventional BTE (Behind-the Ear) hearing aid, but instead of simply amplifying sound, it relies on bone conduction to transmit the sound to the better ear.

TransEar is not the first bone conduction hearing aid, but it is the first to overcome Single Sided Deafness without surgery, without bulky headbands, and
without having to wear another hearing aid in the "good" ear.

How it works:

Just like a conventional hearing aid, a custom earmold is made to fit in the ear canal. However, unlike a conventional aid that would simply amplify the sound, TransEar has a miniature vibrator embedded in the earmold. When sound is "received" on the side of the dead ear, it is converted to mechanical energy that drives the vibrator. Those signals are then transferred via the bones of the skull to the cochlea in the opposite ear.

All of this happens nearly instantaneously, but your brain knows the difference. It learns to distinguish between sounds coming in on the side of the good ear versus sounds coming in from the opposite side.

The ability to determine the specific source of a sound - left side / right side, front / back, and everything in between - is called sound localization, and many TransEar users report that they have regained this ability with TransEar.

"Will TransEar work for me?"

TransEar's effectiveness depends on a specific threshold of hearing in the "better" ear, so your hearing healthcare professional will evaluate your hearing in both ears. (See "Indications for Use") Each patient's physiology and medical conditions may also be factors in the fitting.

Important note:

Because there may be an underlying condition requiring medical treatment, it's important to report the onset of SSD to a medical professional such as an ENT doctor or otologist for a thorough examination. Your doctor may in turn work with a hearing healthcare professional to determine if TransEar is appropriate for your type of hearing loss and medical considerations.