I’m sorry—what did you say? Relationships all over the world are being tested due to the simple fact that most of us are at an age when our hearing is not what it previously was.  Selective hearing has progressed to,“ I don’t have a clue that you are even in the room”.  Wives can become frustrated, even annoyed,  (I think that is what you call it when you see fire coming out of women’s eyes?)  Since communication is a key part of any relationship, if your husband exists in a near soundless fog it IS impacting both of you negatively.

While riding with my dear friends recently I remarked, “where are you dinning tonight”, Robert replied, “no, we don’t know them”.  Where do I go from there?  His wife rolled her eyes, I was in hysterics.  (I have seen that reaction hundreds of times).  I have to repeat myself so much I am beginning to feel like a parrot—and yelling all the time gives me a headache.  My Mom can’t hear her cell phone ring when it is in her pocket, but assures me that she is not THAT hard of hearing—sure Mom.  Plus, isn’t it dangerous to think you can hear when you can’t?

MIT to the rescue– researchers there have designed a 3-D digital scanner that delves deep into the ear to precisely measure the ear interior insuring hearing aids with a perfect fit.  The scanner is actually a fiber optic camera inside a liquid-filled membrane.  Once it is in the ear it expands to fill the ear canal and creates a 3-D image by gauging light.  The technician measures soft tissue compliance by changing pressure in the membrane.  This helps the people who make the devices more effective at sealing the ear.

Douglas Hart, the brainiack behind this marriage saver says the way hearing aids are measured now is “antiquated”; hearing aids today are uncomfortable, don’t move with the body, and can’t respond to variations like opening ones mouth.  Hart says, “the new device can actually film the 3-D shape of an ear as you chew”.  Fit seems to be THE key to comfortable hearing success, and they think they have nailed it.

MIT’s digital scanner is scheduled to rollout in 2011, accompanied with a price-per-scam revenue model.  We are hoping this means it will be somewhat affordable. With our aging populace volume shouldn’t be a problem. Guess you’ve got that Christmas covered.

Hearing loss impacts all of us.  How beautiful the thought of whispering in someone’s ear as opposed to shouting.  How profound the cell-phone born cliché has become, “can you hear me now?”