Doctors' Bios:
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Hearing & Balance
Hearing is one of our prized five senses. Even so, the ability to hear is taken for granted. When only a slight decrease in hearing occurs, however, we become acutely aware of it. 28 million Americans suffer some degree of hearing loss. Thanks to improving medical care and rapidly expanding technological advances, most can be helped.
The most common cause of hearing loss in children is otitis media (middle ear infection). Early identification affords the best chance for improvement and minimizes the effect that hearing loss can have on language development. For the elderly, the largest group affected by hearing loss, excessive noise, drugs, toxins, and heredity are the most frequent contributing factors.
Hearing loss is a medical condition. In some patients, it can be surgically corrected; medical devices and rehabilitation can substantially reduce hearing loss in the vast majority of patients who cannot be helped by surgery.
The ear also governs one's sense of balance. Disorders that cause imbalance and dizziness can have a great impact on one's normal daily function. A comprehensive approach to the diagnosis of these disorders requires careful investigation that often includes an Otologist, Audiologist for inner ear testing as well as a Neurologist.
An Otologist is a medical specialist who focuses only on conditions in and around the ear. This specialty requires training in Otolaryngology with additional training for specialized treatment of the ear. Dr. Neil Sperling, M.D., FACS, oversees the New York Otolaryngology Group's otology practice and provides the most current solutions to hearing loss and balance disorders, both common and obscure, including the most advanced hearing devices and surgeries for disorders of hearing and balance.
With the addition of otologic care, The NYOG now offers the most comprehensive care of its patients' ears, noses, and throats, and possesses the fullest understanding of otolaryngeal pathologies and their effective treatment.
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