Meet the Audiologist
Dr. Ben Rodriguez Au.D., M.A. CCC-A, FAAA
Dr. Rodriguez specializes in diagnosing hearing loss and fitting hearing aids for patients including children, musicians, and patients who have tried hearing aids without success.
Dr. Rodriguez served on the clinical faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas Callier Center for several years. He received his training at the University of Texas at Austin and has been helping people with hearing loss since 2000. He regularly lectures at national audiology conferences on clinical methods to improve hearing aid performance and performs research to improve hearing aids in patients with severe hearing loss.
American Board of Audiology
American Academy of Audiology
American Speech and Hearing Association
National Hearing Conservation Association
Texas Academy of Audiology
What is an Audiologist?
Audiologists are the primary health care professionals who evaluate, diagnose, treat, and manage hearing loss and balance disorders in adults and children. Training includes a four-year clinical doctoral degree following a college bachelor's and/or master's degree(s).
Areas of Expertise
Diagnosing hearing loss
The most important first step to treatment of hearing loss is diagnosis of the type and degree of the hearing loss. Audiologists receive extensive training to diagnose the impairment to help ensure the right diagnosis is made. Audiologists consult with ENTs (otolaryngologists) to determine the pathology of the hearing impairment and to rule out any serious medical problems.
Dispensing hearing aids
While there are a few professionals who are licensed to dispense hearing aids, audiologists are the only professionals who receive extensive training in the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system, hearing aid technology, and fitting of hearing aids.
Modern hearing aids have become so sophisticated that it is critical that the hearing healthcare professional understands the fundamentals of hearing loss and how the hearing aids interact with the impaired hearing system. Furthermore, several studies indicate that the greatest determining factor in success with hearing aids is the skill of the audiologist or professional guiding the patient through the process.
Hearing Conservation
Audiologists implement hearing conservation programs and dispense or recommend hearing protective devices to musicians, music fans, mechanics, hunters, soldiers, racecar drivers, dentists, or anyone who is around high levels of sound due to work or recreation.
Audiologists also monitor patients who are taking ototoxic (ear-poisoning) medications for the treatment of cancer, meningitis, or other diseases.
Fitting custom hearing or protective devices
Audiologists prescribe or dispense ear/hearing protection devices including: musician ear monitors, swim-plugs, shooters-plugs, music earplugs, and custom tips for headphones or ear-level communication devices. Hearing loss can often be prevented with the right hearing protection. The rule of thumb is that you can fire a gun 2000-5000 times with hearing protection or once without and cause roughly the same amount of damage. Damage to the ear is based on the intensity (loudness) of the sound and how long you listen to it. An audiologist can help anyone who ever finds themselves around any kind of loud sounds or medium-to-loud sounds for long periods of time.
