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See our Highlights from the Hyperacusis Workshop at the 2013 ARO Meeting

What is Hyperacusis?

Hyperacusis is a condition that causes a person to be unable to tolerate everyday noise levels without pain. This condition may be initiated by a disease, by an acoustic trauma event (loud noise exposure), or induced by certain drugs. 

Historically it has been referred to as "hypersensitivity of hearing" while some have used the term "decreased sound tolerance" (Jastreboff & Hazell, 2004). One definition given to hyperacusis is "the collapse of loudness tolerance" (J.A. Vernon, 2002). In the book Hyperacusis: Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Therapies Dr. Baguley and Professor Andersson use "hyperacusis to describe the experience of inordinate loudness for sound that most people tolerate well, associated with a component of distress."

Highlights from the Hyperacusis Workshop at the 2013 ARO Midwinter Meeting

Hyperacusis Research was excited to participate in the 2013 Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) midwinter meeting by introducing the workshop on Hyperacusis.    This effort was made possible by a partnership with Dr. Peter Steyger from the Oregon Hearing Research Center at OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University) and the Hearing Health Foundation.  The workshop was attented by nearly 200 researchers.
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Hyperacusis Research Grant

Hyperacusis Research is pleased to announce our first grant for research. This grant will support the Hearing Health Foundation's research grant for a literature review focused on hyperacusis, recruitment, misophonia, phonophobia, and mechanisms of volume/intensity processing in the auditory pathway. Click here to read an article on Involuntary Volume in the Hearing Health magazine which highlights the grant.   Dr. Richard S. Tyler at the University of Iowa has been selected as the grant recipient.

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A Mother's Hyperacusis Journey

 My symptoms of hyperacusis started after acoustic trauma from a carbon monoxide detector that went off in very close range to my ears.  I purchased a faulty carbon monoxide detector for my home, which went off twice in one week. In my attempt to turn off the alarm, I exposed my ears to the extremely loud sound.  Immediately after the first insult, I noticed pain and a blocked sensation in my ear. It was after the second episode that I realized something profound had happened to my ears. 
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Jesse's Story

Jesse's hyperacusis was caused by exposure to loud weapons in the military. Now, eight years after the initial onset, Jesse struggles to find ways to do simple things like fishing with his son because even a loud voice can create pain.

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