Otolaryngologist’s spectrum of care covers many diseases of the ear, nose and throat, some of which may not be identified here.

If you feel unsure of whether an Otolaryngologist is the correct care provider for you, contact your primary care physician first.

• Physician Services
• Audiology
• Allergy
• Diagnostic Imaging (CT)

Styles of Hearing Aids
There are many different styles or ways a hearing can look when being worn. Most modern hearing aids remain small in size even if they need to provide a lot of amplification for people with moderate to severe hearing loss.

• Completely in the Canal: the smallest type of hearing aid. Fits deeply in the ear and is virtually invisible unless looking directly into someone’s ear. This hearing has the most limitations as far as being able to fit all losses, however. Generally, it is only suitable for a mild to moderate hearing loss at all frequencies.

• Canal aid: Second smallest type of hearing aid. A little more visible than the CIC, but allows patients much more control over their hearing aid. It is only able to be appropriately fit to a mild or moderate hearing loss.

• Half Shell: The size of this hearing aid is roughly equivalent half the size of the concha bowl of the ear. The size allows for higher level noise reduction capabilities such as directional microphones. It is appropriate to fit moderately severe hearing loss.

• Full Shell: The largest of the in the ear hearing aids. The size of this aid fills the concha bowl fully, and creates a better acoustic seal allowing for a little more power. This hearing aid fits a larger type of battery which allows for larger battery life as well as all of the other benefits of the half shell.
• Micro-Behind the ear (open): A very small hearing aid specifically designed for a more natural sound and better comfort than the in the ear hearing aids. Able to fit hearing losses previously difficult to fit with in the ear hearing aids.

• Micro-Behind the ear (RIC): A receiver in canal (RIC) micro-BTE allows for comfort and clarity of the open fit hearing aid, but is more applicable to moderate and moderately severe hearing losses. When worn, the RIC looks virtually identical to the open BTE and has similar features.

Levels of Technology
Most hearing aid manufacturers have similar technologies, and arrange those technologies in a hierarchy based on the patient’s activity level.

• Entry Level: This level technology is based on the mild activity level. Patients, who do not go out often or are not in many different listening environments, do well with this level of technology. This level has very reduced noise reduction capabilities as well as fewer channels for fine adjustment than the other levels.

• Mid Level: This level of technology is appropriate for most people who are in several listening environments throughout the day. This level is comparable to the state of the art 2-3 years ago. It has an adequate number of channels and noise reduction capabilities, compared to what is available in the higher end instruments.

• Advanced Level: This level of technology is appropriate for people who are very active throughout the day. It is the state of the art as far as features and technologies are concerned. These aids offer the best hearing experience in a variety of environments.

All of the hearing aids come with a 30 day trial period and a manufacturer’s warranty ranging from 1-2 years. ENT Specialists of FL also offers financing plans through Care-Credit specifically for hearing aids, and will file the paperwork for insurance coverage for hearing aids.

Mrs. Sara Goldfarb has over twenty years of experience in a variety of audiology settings working with children and adults. She believes that the best part of her profession is hearing from her patients about the sounds they hear for the first time in many years.

Mrs. Goldfarb received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Science and Disorders from Radford University in Radford, Virginia in 1987 and her Master of Science degree in Audiology from this same prestigious institution in 1988.

Mrs. Goldfarb worked in private practice in Jacksonville, Florida until 2000 when she relocated to Ft. Myers, Florida. For the next 8 years she continued her career in Audiology including working with a hearing aid technology company. In 2009 she joined Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists of Florida as a full time Audiologist. Her love of improving the lives of patients through better hearing is a career path she is happy to pursue.

Dr. Py received his Associate in Arts degree from the Ft. Myers, Florida campus of Edison College in 2000. By 2003 he had received his Bachelor in Science degree focusing on communication disorders from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2007 he had achieved his Doctorate in Audiology from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. Dr. Py says about Audiology, “As soon as you have a grasp of how sound flows, and then how people hear it, hearing healthcare as a science also becomes art.” It is this creed with which Dr. Py approaches the discipline of Audiology.

In 2008 Dr. Py joined Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists of Florida working with all populations. Dr. Py considers himself not only a practitioner or a therapist but an artist. His expertise in the field of Audiology along with his love of music and technology brings exceptional care to his patients.

Dr. DeVore brings to the practice personal care, from diagnosing whether a child is experiencing a hearing loss, or interpreting hearing test results for adult patients and explaining the type of hearing loss the patient is experiencing. She counsels families and individuals about the issues of hearing loss, the impact it can have and the positive news about today’s solutions.

When it comes to finding the right hearing aid, Dr. DeVore bluntly says, “Size of the hearing aid is not the issue; it is the sophistication of the circuitry inside and the expertise of the audiologist that dispenses it.”
“It is hearing with a personal touch,” Dr. DeVore says. She will let patients choose what best fits their needs and what their budgets can tolerate.

Hobbies:
– She and her Clydesdale “Eris” keep Lee County safe as part of the Sheriff’s office Mounted Patrol Unit.

Wanting to continue her pursuit of excellence in the field of audiology, she went on to receive her Master of Arts in Audiology and a Doctor of Audiology at the University of Pittsburgh.

It was at the University of Pittsburgh that she was offered the opportunity to teach medical students in Chengdu China about the use of hearing aids. This was an opportunity she simply could not pass up.

After her journey to China, she returned to Denver, Colorado to complete her residency at Denver Health Medical Center, ENT Division.

Dr. O’Neal has worked with all age groups, including implementing newborn hearing screenings. Her special interest is in evaluating and fitting all age groups of patients with hearing aids.

Dr. O’Neal is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and has been with ENT Specialists of Florida since early 2007.

• Comprehensive Audiometry: is a battery of tests to assess two aspects of hearing.
Sensitivity is the patient’s ability to hear soft sounds. The tests to measure sensitivity use words and pure tones presented to the patient through ear inserts and a bone vibrator that are connected to an audiometer
Speech Discrimination is the patient’s ability to tell the difference between speech sounds while listening to multiple words at a comfortable level. These are presented to the patient in the same manner as above.

• Tympanometry: is the measurement of how much sound is able to pass through the middle ear. A probe is placed in the ear, sealing it off from the environment. A subtle tone is presented in the ear and measured through a microphone in the probe. The air pressure is gently adjusted in the ear canal and the machine measures how much sound has made it through the middle ear based on the pressure. This test is very quick and painless, and is important in determining the health of the middle ear. If the eardrum does not pass very much sound due to middle ear fluid or the absence of an eardrum, some hearing loss may be present.

• Acoustic Reflex Testing: Measures the presence of a reflex of a middle ear muscle during a loud sound. This test is performed with the same equipment as tympanometry above. An airtight seal is formed with the gentle tone present in the ear. A somewhat loud tone is presented and the sensitive equipment measures the passage of sound. If it changes in response to the loud sound, an acoustic reflex is present. This test measures the health of the 7th and 8th cranial nerves.

• Otoacoustic Emissions Testing (OAE): Measures the presence of sounds in the inner ear that are a by- product of a healthy ear. This test is performed much in the same way as the above tests with a probe in the ear. Two tones are presented to the patient and a microphone in the probe records the expected presence of the sound per specific frequency. These tests are important in the evaluation of children and newborns as well as monitoring noise induced and medication induced hearing loss. If there is an OAE present, then the results rule out anything worse than a mild hearing loss.

• Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): Measures electrical signals that occur in the brainstem while the patient hears moderately loud clicks. This test is performed with very sensitive equipment that is designed to measure the brainstem’s electrical activity as sound is sent to the brain. Electrodes are placed on the patient’s forehead and behind the ears and the test is performed in a quiet room. This test rules out a very specific type of hearing loss.

Having this technology in our office allows our physicians to diagnose your problem and begin your treatment plan right away, giving you faster relief from your symptoms.

The scanning process lasts less than 40 seconds for an adult and 20 seconds for pediatrics.
Patients sit upright making the scan very comfortable.
Scans are easily accessible, wheelchair friendly and scanner has an open design.
Scans are safe. Our Mini CT has lower radiation than traditional CT scans.

Our specialists treat the complications of allergic disease such as asthma, food allergy, skin allergies, insect stings and allergic rhinitis.

Our practice provides immunotherapy, also known as “allergy shots”. This provides a form of treatment aimed at decreasing your sensitivity to substances called allergens. Allergen immunotherapy can lead to the long-lasting relief of allergy symptoms after treatment is stopped.

Immunotherapy is not recommended for children under 5 years old.