Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D.
For millions of Americans with hearing loss, understanding speech in settings with multiple sound sources is very challenging and exhausting for the brain. Until now, hearing aid technology has focused on directionality and noise reduction systems working independently so wearers of these hearing aids can focus on sound sources in front of them.
The latest hearing aid technology is changing that. The recently introduced Oticon Opn™ is a breakthrough hearing device that provides better speech understanding in noisy environments and is proven to make speech understanding easier on the brain for people who experience hearing loss. Opn is a revolutionary new hearing instrument with BrainHearing™ technology, which allows people with hearing loss to not only hear better without having to work as hard but they also remember more of what is being said. Opn is now available at Advanced Hearing Solutions (941-474-8393).
“I am excited to bring my patients Opn, the first hearing aid proven to make it easier on the brain,” said Dr. Noël Crosby Au.D. “ The preliminary tests shows that Opn increases speech understanding, the parameter most important to my patients and to hearing aid wearers, by 30%*. People who wear Opn also experience 20% less listening effort* when trying to understand speech. And because they use up less energy trying to understand, they are able to remember 20% more** of what was said.”
Oticon Opn is a small, discreet hearing aid; it is a powerhouse of innovative technology that expertly manages multiple speech and noise sources so people hear better with less effort even in challenging listening situations like restaurants or social gatherings. The high speed Velox™ platform – 50 times faster than previous technology – scans, analyses and reacts to sounds in the environments more than 100 times per second. Opn allows wearers to enjoy an open sound experience where surrounding sounds are available but not intrusive. This enables them to easily follow the sounds they want to hear and quickly shift their attention when desired.
Opn offers easy connectivity to a variety of mobile phones and other iOS and Android devices. Audio is streamed directly to the hearing aids using a variant of Bluetooth technology developed especially for hearing aids that uses significantly less battery power when streaming. With the free, downloadable Oticon On App™, wearers can control volume, program or device selection and other functions with just a tap of their mobile phone.
Oticon Opn is the world’s first hearing aid that connects directly to the internet via the If This Then That network (IFTTF.com). “Wearers can connect to a range of IFTTT-enabled devices used in everyday life such as door bells, thermostats and baby monitors,” said Dr. Noel Crosby, Au.D. “And people will be able to use their Opn hearing aids with a growing number of IFTTT-compatible products and services as they become available.”
Distinct Oticon Opn Features:
Velox™ Ultra-Fast and Precise Sound Processing Offers Rich More Meaningful Soundscape
The Velox platform offers the extreme speed needed to rapidly analyze and balance sounds in the environment and eliminate noise between words. Surrounding sounds are available but not intrusive. Velox manages multiple sound sources, analyzing and processing sound data 50 times faster than before. Sixty-four band frequency resolution enables a more precise sound analysis and better sound quality to support the brain’s ability to make sense of sound.
TwinLink™ Technology: Binaural Processing & Direct Connectivity
Oticon Opn is the industry’s first hearing solution to offer TwinLink technology, two communication systems in one hearing solution. One system provides near-field magnetic communication (NFMI) which optimizes binaural ear-to-ear processing to support communication between two hearing aids for a more natural sound experience. A second dedicated system uses 2.4GHz Bluetooth direct streaming for wireless communication to mobile phones, music players, computers, TV and more.
Internet Connected Hearing Device
Oticon Opn connects directly to the internet via the If This Then That service (IFTTT.com). Users can connect to a wide range of IFTTT-enabled devices used in everyday life such as door bells, thermostats and baby monitors. Oticon Opn users will be able to use their hearing aids with a growing number of IFTTT-compatible products and services as they become available.
OpenSound Navigator™
OpenSound Navigator™ scans, analyzes and reacts to sounds in the environment more than 100 times per second. Thanks to this extreme processing speed, Oticon Opn is able to continually analyze and balance sounds, removing noise between words. Users can follow the sounds they want to hear and quickly shift attention when desired. Surrounding sounds are available but not intrusive so users can focus on the sounds they want to hear even in noisy situations.
To make an appointment to have your hearing tested or to discuss whether the Oticon Opn is right for you, call Advanced Hearing Solutions at 941-474-8393 or learn more at our website: advancedhearingsolutions.net.
For more information on Oticon Opn, visit www.oticon.com.
*Compared to Alta2 Pro
**Individual benefit may vary depending upon instrument prescription
PROFESSIONAL BIO
Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D., owner and audiologist at Advanced Hearing Solutions in Englewood, FL is a licensed professional whose 26 year career has been devoted to helping people of all ages hear and understand more clearly. Dr. Crosby received her BS and MS degrees from FSU and her Doctorate in Audiology from UF. Her credibility as an authority grew during her tenure as the Director of Audiology at the Silverstein Institute in Sarasota, FL from 1991-1998. Today, in addition to managing a successful audiology practice, Dr. Crosby is involved in creating hearing loss awareness through her jewelry and accessory company AuDBling.com. She has served and is serving on various professional boards and committees and was president of the Florida Academy of Audiology in 2000 and 2010. She has been married to Michael for 23 years and has one daughter.
