Dr. Jeffrey Lezynski

Dr. Jeffrey Lezynski

Dr. Jeffrey Lezynski joined Beaches ENT after many years of practice in the Buffalo, NY area. Over that time Dr. Lezynski gained the respect of his patients and peers through his caring patient orientated approach to hearing health care. He has worked for many years as a clinical audiologist in a variety of practice settings, provided clinical and classroom instruction as a Clinical Assistant Professor to Doctoral Level students at the University at Buffalo, and has a record of publications in his profession.

He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences and his Master of Arts Degree in Audiology at the University at Buffalo. He received his Doctor of Audiology Degree at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, School of Audiology.

Dr. Lezynski will work, along with the rest of the team at Beaches ENT, to give you the highest quality hearing health care that you deserve!

What is an Audiologist?

An audiologist is a doctoral level health care professional who specializes in evaluating and treating individuals with hearing loss and balance disorders. Audiologists have extensive training and skills to evaluate the hearing of adults, infants, and children of all ages. Audiologists conduct a wide variety of tests to determine the exact nature of an individual's hearing problem. Audiologists present a variety of treatment options to patients with hearing impairment, which includes the fitting of hearing aids. Audiologists refer patients to physicians when the hearing problem needs medical attention. An Audiologist has special training in the prevention, identification, assessment and non-medical treatment of hearing disorders.

How do I know if I have hearing loss?

If you answer "yes" to one or more of the following questions, it may be time to consult an audiologist:

Do you have difficulty following conversations in a noisy environment?

Do you make statements like, "People mumble" or "People do not speak clearly"?

Do you have difficulty listening to the TV or radio?

Do you find yourself asking people to speak up or repeat themselves?

Do you experience difficulty understanding soft or whispered speech?

Do you have difficulty understanding the speaker at a public meeting or your place of worship?

Do you hear better with one ear than with the other?

Do your family and friends tell you that you are not listening or hearing them well?

Do you avoid social gatherings because of hearing difficulties?

Do you experience ringing or noises in your ears?

Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is often a gradual, painless condition where individuals are unaware that a problem exists. It is common for family members and/or friends to be the first to tell an individual that a problem exists. Some of the possible causes of hearing loss are listed below:

Age

Disease

Drugs

Infections

Irregularities of the ear canal

Noise exposure

Perforated eardrums

Wax build up

Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss: a conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the ear canal, eardrum or tiny bones of the middle ear. Conductive losses primarily reduce the loudness of sound that is heard.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss: a sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear and/or to the nerve from the inner ear to the brain. Sensorineural losses usually result in both a reduction in sound level and in clarity of speech. The aging process, heredity, syndromes, birth defects, certain medications, head injury, tumors and repeated exposure to noise can lead to this type of hearing loss.

Mixed Hearing Loss: some people will have a conductive loss and a sensorineural loss in the same ear or ears at the same time. When this occurs, the hearing loss is referred to as "mixed".

What do I do if a hearing problem is noted?

After recognizing that a problem exists, a hearing evaluation is the next best step. This evaluation should be performed by a licensed, certified audiologist. After the type and severity of the hearing loss is identified, then the audiologist will determine if the loss is best treated medically or with hearing aids.

Digital Hearing Aids and Personal Communication Devices

If amplification is recommended (hearing aids or an amplified device), our office is proud to offer a wide variety of amplification choices to best suit your needs. Hearing aids are lightweight and smaller than ever before. They come with such features as noise reduction, automatic functioning, wax protection, adaptability to cell phones, remote controls, streamers, and more. The audiologist will select the best style of digital hearing aids or personal communication assistants to optimize your ability to hear, keeping cosmetic and lifestyle concerns in mind.

Circuitry: What's the difference?

The majority of hearing aids are now made with digital circuitry. Digitization allows incoming sounds to be converted into a stream of numbers, which are analyzed by the computer chip inside the hearing aid. What that means for you is that digital sound has minimal distortion and will allow for the best speech enhancement possible. Digital hearing aids come in a variety of models and price ranges.

In today's world, hearing aids are not the only option available. For individuals who have mild to moderate hearing losses but are not ready to wear traditional hearing aids, there is a second choice: personal communication assistants. Personal communication assistants provide digital sound without common features of hearing aids. They also look completely different than traditional hearing aids, offering cosmetic appeal to a younger audience.

Hearing aids will NOT restore normal hearing. Hearing aids are assistive devices to enable individuals to hear speech better in order to have improved quality of life. Additional aural rehabilitation might need to be supplemented for optimal communication enhancement.

Preventing Hearing Loss

Hearing loss should be regularly tested by an audiologist. Just as you take care of your eyes, you should monitor your hearing for any changes. In addition, there are ways that you can prevent hearing loss. By routinely seeing an audiologist, you can discuss lifestyle choices that can help you prevent certain forms of hearing loss. In addition, an audiologist can assist with the proper selection of noise protection devices to allow you to live life to the fullest while protecting your ears.

Use of IPODs at loud levels, power tools, lawn mowers, toys, and even hair dryers can contribute to early onset hearing loss. Learning safe volume levels and proper limits of time of exposure to noise can greatly benefit your hearing.

When riding a motor cycle, roller blading, bicycling, playing sports, the use of a helmet can reduce trauma to the head and ear. Use seat belts and child car restraints. Do not insert objects into the ears, such as cotton swabs and bobby pins.

Take good care of your overall health. Hearing is nourished by oxygenated blood. Anything that affects overall health can affect hearing. Try to maintain a healthy body weight, proper blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Take time out to reduce stress. When you do experience symptoms of illness, see your physician. Early identification and treatment of illnesses and diseases can prevent hearing loss as a side effect. Immunizations for mumps and German measles are essential in preventing hearing loss. If your family has a history of hearing loss, ask your audiologist about a referral for genetic counseling to learn more about the causes and odds of occurrence in you and your family members.

Consider custom hearing protection. There are differing types of devices depending on whether you are using power tools, handguns, rifles, or playing an instrument in a band. Check out our selection of products!

Remember, hearing loss can affect people of all ages and in many different ways. The first step is prevention. If a hearing loss exists, early detection and appropriate intervention are essential for long-term disability effects to be avoided or minimized and communication to be enhanced. Take care of your ears! Schedule an appointment with our audiologist today.