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If you’ve been recently diagnosed with hearing loss, you may feel as though you can’t enjoy some of the activities you once loved, like going to the movies. This is simply not true; with the right accommodations, you can continue to attend and enjoy the movies just like you always have. We review how below.
Wear Your Hearing Aids
If you have hearing aids, the best way you can enjoy the movies is to wear them. Hearing aids work by amplifying sounds to a level the wearer can easily detect. If anything, you might find that sounds at Topeka Wheatfield 9 are too loud with your devices in. If this is the case, there’s an easy fix: Simply turn down the volume or activate the loud noise suppression feature if your device has one.
Use Assistive Listening Devices
Some assistive listening devices can be used in conjunction with your hearing aids, while others can be used alone. Many movie theaters offer assistive listening devices such as:
FM systems. These use radio frequencies to transmit amplified sound through a receiver worn in the ear.
Infrared light systems. These transmit sounds to a special receiver that can be adjusted to the desired volume.
Induction loop systems. These send sound signals to the telecoil in your hearing aid or cochlear implant when you select that setting on your device.
Ask About Captioning
One study reports, “The most frequently used compensation strategies were changing TV or HA [hearing aid] volumes and using closed captioning. Only few HA users used audio streaming accessories,” indicating that many people find captioning preferable to using accessories such as assistive listening devices.
If you’re one of these people, you have two options when it comes to captioning at the movie theater: open and closed.
Open captioning describes when the text appears on the screen for everyone to see. It’s less commonly used in movie theaters than closed captioning, but some theaters offer special open caption viewings.
Closed captioning describes when you use a system where the captions are private. For closed captioning, you have to request a special device that displays the captions where you’re seated.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call Topeka Ear Nose & Throat today.