Departments
Features
Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids in the United States: A Public Health Perspective after 4 Years
Readers of CanadianAudiologist.ca likely know that hearing loss has important consequences for health and over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids were meant to help address it. Now, four years after the implementation of the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act in the US, we review where we are and where we might go next.
What we’re learning about sound localization during the use of hearing protection devices, and how we might be able to use it to improve hearing conservation
Noise exposure is a major cause of permanent hearing loss and tinnitus and an increasingly recognized risk factor for subclinical listening difficulties.
Audiologists as Gatekeepers: A Two-Year Audit Supporting Direct ENT Referral Pathways in Canada
In Canada, access to otolaryngology (ENT) services varies significantly by jurisdiction, and most provinces already permit direct audiologist-to-ENT referral models. However, physician-mediated referral pathways remain mandatory in British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, which can delay timely specialist assessment, particularly for patients presenting with urgent auditory or vestibular concerns.
Clinical Significance of Interaural Asymmetry in Childhood Hearing Loss
This study reveals that in children with minimal to mild hearing loss, a greater imbalance in hearing sensitivity between ears (interaural asymmetry) is linked to poorer frequency modulation detection, a skill critical for understanding speech in noisy environments.
Access Points – A Sunflower at the Gate: Hearing Loss and the Signal That Speaks First
Human rights lawyer Lorin MacDonald highlights how the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard serves as a vital tool for travelers with non-apparent hearing loss, allowing them to voluntarily signal a need for patience and communication support in noisy, fast-paced airport environments without sacrificing their independence.
From Physician to Patient: Reflections on Hearing, Longevity, and Successful Ageing
Dr. Vos interviews retired geriatrician, Dr. Cyril Gryfe, MD, and reminds us that we are never just dealing with a pair of “ears”, but patients who are as complex in their makeup and they are complex in their everyday needs.
What’s New about Getting Older
Kathy Pichora-Fuller argues that as hearing aids and assistive devices become highly digitized and integrated with AI, audiologists must actively address the intersection of "Gerontechnology" and low digital literacy among older adults to prevent technological abandonment and ensure successful long-term rehabilitation.
Ontario’s Workers’ Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Policy Change-What They Got Right and What They Got Wrong…
Dr. Marshall Chasin explains that while the Canadian Academy of Audiology commends Ontario’s WSIB for correctly removing an unscientific age-subtraction policy for older workers, the organization strongly criticizes the new policy for maintaining an unfounded emphasis on "audiometric notches" and failing to explicitly cover professional musicians despite decades of proof that musical environments routinely exceed safe noise thresholds.
Interview with Dr Jerry Northern
Sadly Dr. Jerry Northern passed away recently. Dr. Northern gave a 2022 interview to Dr. Bob Traynor- one of our columnists at CanadianAudiology.ca- in the Giants of Audiology segment of Hearing Health and Technology Matters. We have received permission to reprint this interview here.
Columns
Amplification
Calvin Staples outlines the evolution of hearing aids into the modern "A2" (Access and AI) era, highlighting the increased accessibility of over-the-counter (OTC) devices alongside the promise of deep neural networks to improve hearing in noise, while warning of the potential safety risks posed by unverified maximum power outputs.
From the Labs to the Clinics
This article outlines a laboratory study on mice evaluating photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), which found that preconditioning the inner ear with near-infrared light from an ear-canal-implanted LED device mitigated noise-induced hearing loss, potentially by reducing the release of destructive free radicals.
Sound Business Sense
Dr. Robert M. Traynor emphasizes that a thorough, objective competitive analysis is vital for a successful audiology business plan, requiring entrepreneurs to gather "Competitive Intelligence" on both direct and indirect rivals while applying structured models—such as SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and Three Circle Analysis—to identify market gaps and successfully differentiate their practice.
The Way I Hear It
Author Gael Hannan draws a poignant parallel between her silver hearing devices and kintsugi, the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with golden lacquer, reframing hearing aids not as signs of being broken, but as beautiful, visible traces of personal healing and communication repair.
Audiology in the Classrooms
Educational audiologist Dr. Pam Millett raises critical concerns about whether the automated algorithms and deep neural networks in modern AI hearing technology are trained on adult data, questioning if they can accurately identify and prioritize the rapidly shifting, unique "signals" children encounter across diverse school environments.
Clinic Corner
Dr. Salima Jiwani highlights that a transparent, flexible return and exchange policy offering multiple hearing aid brands is not just administrative fine print, but a critical clinical tool that builds trust, reduces treatment delay, and keeps patients engaged in managing their hearing health even if the first device is not a perfect fit.
Stories from Our Past
Wolf Lübbers highlights that 19th-century British otologist George Purdey Field popularized a highly acclaimed 1879 textbook, Diseases of the Ear, which uniquely featured innovative, three-dimensional physical holes and paper textures to simulate realistic depth when readers viewed the clinical illustrations through an ear speculum.
Volunteer Subjects Wanted for Online Research
1. A survey from Statistics Canada with a November 19, 2026 deadline/Le formulaire sera accessible jusqu’au 19 novembre 2026.
2. Participate in the University of Alberta’s Deaf Aesthetics Research 2026
2. Participate in the University of Alberta’s Deaf Aesthetics Research 2026