The labyrinth is the portion of the inner ear that controls your body's sense of balance, in addition to its role in hearing. An infection of this organ can lead to a condition known as labyrinthitis (LAB-IH-RINTH-ITIS).

One in three Americans over the age of 65 suffer some degree of hearing impairment. By the age of 85, fifty-eight percent have hearing loss in one or both ears.

You may have noticed that your ears sometimes 'pop' when flying in an airplane. This may also occur while driving in the mountains or riding in an elevator.

An assistive listening device, or A-L-D, differs from a regular hearing aid in a number of ways. The simplest ones consist of an ear mold which fits inside the ear.

If you hear a constant or intermittent ringing, buzzing, or clicking for which there's no external sound source, you may be tempted to think the problem is all in your head, and that may be true.

Before you buy tickets for the next rock concert, you should be aware that loud noises are among the leading causes of hearing loss. They can damage the sensitive eardrum or the small bones of the middle ear.

A visit to the ear doctor for a hearing test is a simple and painless procedure. Your doctor may perform voice or tuning fork tests to determine how you react to various types of sounds.

Young children are far more susceptible to ear infections than adults. This may be due to their smaller eustachian (YOU-STAY-SHE-EN) tubes, which helps the middle ear to drain and allows pressure to equalize.

Tinnitis (tin-EYE-tus) is a ringing, hissing, buzzing, thumbing, or whistling of the ear that may be constant or intermittent. It's one of the most common ear problems and frequently associated with others.

There is normally a certain amount of fluid in your ears. When too much builds up, it drains through the eustachian (YOU-STAY-SHEN) tube, which connects your ear to the base of the throat.

Hearing impairment is a gradual process, and may go undetected for a long time. The leading preventable cause is exposure to loud noises. Veterans of war, particularly those who were exposed to artillery fire, often develop hearing problems.

The single best way of dealing with hearing loss is to prevent it from happening in the first place. And the greatest cause of hearing loss is exposure to loud noises.

Inner ear infections can affect both hearing and balance systems. Either a bacterium or a virus causes the infection, and although the symptoms of the two types of infections mimic each other, they're treated differently.

There are more than 200 possible causes for tinnitus (TIN-IT-US), a ringing, buzzing or clicking in the ears, without any known external source of the sound.

The condition known as Meniere's (MANE-EE-AIRZ) disease was first described in 1861, but even today the cause is not known. It's a disorder that affects the inner ear, and can disrupt both hearing and balance.

Middle ear infections are a common condition of early childhood. The middle ear is connected to the back of the nose by the Eustachian (you-stay-shen) tube.

Ringing, buzzing, chirping, clicking, if you're hearing a constant sound for which there's no apparent source, you're probably one of the millions of people who suffer from tinnitis (TIN-IT-IS).

Otosclerosis (oh-toe-scler-OH-sis) is a condition of the middle ear in which new bone tissue is formed, interfering with the mechanism of the three bones conducting sound.

Inflammation of the outer ear canal is a common occurrence. The inflammation may cause severe pain in the ear which can be worsened by movements, such as chewing and yawning.

When you hear a sound, vibrations in the ear are transmitted to the tympanic (TIM-PAN-ICK) membrane, or eardrum, and then to the inner ear, where they're converted to nerve impulses and sent to the brain.

Modern surgical techniques have come a long way in recent years. Fiber optics allow ear surgeons to perform delicate operations that would have been unheard of just decades ago.

Hearing loss, particularly in the elderly, can be most noticeable when using the telephone. Normal hearing aids may get in the way when holding a receiver to the ear so a telephone amplifier may be the answer.

Tinnitus (TIN-IT-US) is commonly called 'ringing in the ears,' although it can also take the form of buzzing, hissing or any number of sounds. Some fifty million Americans suffer from the condition to some degree, and about twelve million of those cases are severe enough to require medical attention.

Tinnitus (TIN-IT-US) is the sensation of hearing a ringing or buzzing in the ears when there is no external source of the sound. There is no cure, but various treatments are available to mask or minimize the noise.

A central auditory processing disorder may be present when a child with normal hearing and intelligence exhibits difficulty paying attention and understanding spoken words.

Hyperacusis (hi-per-uh-cue-sis) is a rare disorder where an individual becomes highly sensitive to everyday sounds. Some people think they have hyperacusis because they are bothered by noises such as lawnmowers, sirens, or loud music.