Hearing Protection

Take steps to prevent hearing loss, including custom-fit devices from the audiologists at Ohio State.

Appointments: 614-366-3687

When you attend a loud event, like a concert or sports game, you may experience ringing in your ears or sensitivity to noises the following day. Both symptoms indicate that your hearing has been damaged.

Prolonged exposure to loud sounds can have permanent effects on your ability to hear. At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, our team of audiology specialists can offer you a range of hearing protection options to preserve your hearing if your job or hobby requires you to be around ear-irritating noises.

Why should I use hearing protection?

Your hearing can be damaged in a number of ways throughout a normal day, including doing activities such as mowing the lawn, using machinery like a chainsaw or drill or attending a loud event.

Any prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels (dB) can cause permanent hearing loss or other symptoms, such as tinnitus (ringing in ears). Experiencing a single loud event — such as a shotgun blast or dynamite blast — can also cause harm.

Hearing damage can be gradual and often painless, so many people don’t realize their hearing has been damaged until it has already happened. That’s why it’s important to use hearing protection even before you notice symptoms.

While we do have devices and treatments available to manage hearing loss, nothing can restore your hearing fully once it has been damaged. Our goal is to prevent this damage from occurring before it happens.

Illustration guide of dangerous decibel exposure that can cause hearing damage

What hearing protection options are available?

At the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, our dedicated audiologists will work closely with you to ensure that you are equipped with the right type of hearing protection device. For example, a person whose career is in construction will have different needs from someone who is a musician, but hearing protection is equally important for both of these professionals.

Hearing protection is necessary for everyone who might be exposed to situations that could damage their hearing — even if they don’t have existing hearing loss. Here are some devices we can provide to help protect your ears:

Custom hearing protection

Hearing protection mold

Custom hearing protection begins with an evaluation of your needs including the types of loud sounds you will be exposed to. An earmold impression will then be taken of your ears. Hearing protection can be made for musicians, hunters, general loud noise exposure, dentists or others. The sounds in each environment are different, and the molds can be tailored to your needs. For example, we’ll consider whether or not you still need to carry on a conversation in the noise.

 

 

Swim plugs

Swim plug

Getting water in your ear while swimming can be the cause of chronic ear infections and can exacerbate existing ear conditions. Swim plugs are made from a custom mold and are usually constructed from brightly colored materials that float. They can be connected to handles or a cord to ensure that they’re not easily lost.





 

What can I expect when being fitted for a hearing protection device?

When you see an Ohio State audiologist, we’ll take a simple mold of your ear to ensure your hearing protection device is a custom fit for you. Depending on how much sound you are exposed to and for how long, we may also recommend non-custom, over-the-ear hearing protection devices.

Other ways to protect my hearing

Besides using hearing protection, there are other steps and lifestyle changes you can make to prevent hearing loss. Those include:

  • Turning down the volume on music and television.
  • Limiting exposure to loud noises whenever possible.
  • Taking breaks in quiet spaces if around loud noises.
  • Not inserting cotton swabs into the ear canals.
  • Keeping the ears as dry as possible.
  • Using medications that could cause ototoxicity properly.

Our Audiologists

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Laura Feeney, AuD

Audiologist

Laura Feeney, AuD, earned both her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her doctoral degree in Audiology from The Ohio State University. She has been with the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery since 2007. She is certified by the American Board of Audiology and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology. Her clinical interests include diagnostic testing, hearing aids and cochlear implants.

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Laura Garish, AuD

Audiologist

Laura Garish, AuD, earned her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 1992 and master’s degree from the University of Akron in 1994. She completed her doctorate degree in 2001 at the University of Florida. She worked as the director of Audiology in the Huntington Ear Clinic in Huntington, West Virginia, from 1994-1996 and joined the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 1997. Laura is a founding member, board member and treasurer of the nonprofit foundation, Project EAR, Inc. 

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Brenda Hall, AuD

Audiologist

Brenda Hall, AuD, graduated from the University of North Carolina with a master’s degree in Audiology. She received her doctoral degree from Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2010. She has been a member of the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery since 1991. Her interests include working with patients with cochlear implants and hearing aids.

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Meghan Hiss, AuD

Audiologist

Meghan Hiss, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctor of Audiology degree from The Ohio State University in 2008 and 2012, respectively. She worked as a clinical audiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Columbus Speech and Hearing Center before joining the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2018. Her clinical interests include diagnostic audiology, cochlear implants and the fitting of hearing aids and assistive technology. Dr. Hiss is a research audiologist at the Ohio State Buckeye Center for Hearing and Development. She is board certified by the American Board of Audiology and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology. 

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Kayla Kirk, AuD

Audiologist

Kayla Kirk, AuD, earned both her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctor of Audiology degree from The Ohio State University. Dr. Kirk worked as a clinical audiologist at Southwest Ohio ENT and Columbus Speech and Hearing Center before joining the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Her clinical interests include diagnostic audiology and the fitting of hearing aids, auditory osseointegrated devices, and assistive technology. Dr. Kirk is board certified by the American Board of Audiology and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology. 

Debby LaPrete, AuD

Audiologist

Debby LaPrete, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and her master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. She graduated from the Arizona School of Health Sciences with her doctoral degree in Audiology in 2009. Dr. LaPrete has worked at Ohio State since 1994, and specializes in providing services to recipients of cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants.

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Cari Mickelson, MEd

Audiologist

Cari Mickelson, MEd, graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Audiology. She has worked in a variety of medical settings for the past 25 years. Her interests include diagnostic audiology and hearing aid dispensing. Cari is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Alyse Ramirez, AuD

Audiologist

Alyse Ramirez, AuD, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education and a Doctor of Audiology degree at The Ohio State University in 2016 and 2022, respectively. She completed an externship and worked as a clinical audiologist at Southwest Ohio ENT before joining Ohio State in 2023. Her interests include hearing aids, cochlear implants and Baha implants. Dr. Ramirez is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology.
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Melissa Schnitzspahn, AuD

Manager, Audiology

Melissa Schnitzspahn, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University in 1998 and her master’s degree in Audiology from Ohio State in 2000. She obtained her doctoral degree in Audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2008. Melissa joined the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 2001. Her interests include hearing aid dispensing and cochlear implants.

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Saul Strieb, AuD

Audiologist & Vestibular Laboratory Coordinator

Saul Strieb, AuD, obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and his master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Maryland. He received his doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2009. He served as an audiologist at the Washington Hospital Center from 2001 through 2011, before joining the staff of the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 2011. His clinical interests include hearing aids, BAHA, vestibular assessment and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

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Taylor Wucinich, AuD

Audiologist

Taylor Wucinich, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctor of Audiology degree from The Ohio State University in 2014 and 2018, respectively. She worked as a clinical audiologist in Westerville, Ohio before joining the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in 2021. Her interests include diagnostic testing, hearing aids, auditory osseointegrated hearing devices, and vestibular assessment. Dr. Wucinich is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology. She is board certified by the American Board of Audiology.
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