With the click of a mouse, you can find a virtual gold mine of information about hearing health on your home computer. There are thousands of Web sites on the Internet that address hearing loss.

This easy access to the latest news, research, and treatment options means you can find your own answers to your questions about your hearing loss, get a better understanding of the hearing test procedures you may undergo and find the latest information on hearing instruments.

More the 26 million Americans visited more than 20,000 Web sites for health care information last year. This is about equal to usage of the Web for sports and entertainment information. By 2001, more than 50 million people around the world will use the Internet for information about their health and well-being.

Most of the popular general health care Web sites devote a section to hearing loss and hearing care. At www.drkoop.com, one of the most visited health care sites on the Internet, you can learn about the signs and symptoms of hearing loss, find definitions of terms relating to hearing health and read news and research articles about hearing loss and treatment.

It's certainly appropriate that Dr. C. Everett Koop, the former Surgeon General of the United States, is involved with a Web site about hearing loss. Dr. Koop uses two hearing aids and has always been outspoken about the problems of hearing loss and the important benefits provided by hearing aids.

Another unique feature of health care Web sites is the ability to tap into online support groups, where you can ask questions, discuss concerns and share experiences with others in situations similar to your own. These virtual communities are typically listed as “message boards” on the home page of the Web site you're visiting. These sites share insights from people living with hearing loss, their spouses and children, and even their coworkers.

There are a number of Web sites by consumer groups dedicated to the needs of those with hearing loss, their family and friends. For example, www.shhh.com is sponsored by Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH), a nonprofit organization with about 250 local chapters across the U.S. The Better Hearing Institute Web site can be reached at www.betterhearing.org. The professional associations of audiologists, hearing aid specialists and physicians also have Web sites, usually with separate sections for their own members and for the public.

There are so many sources of information that it can be overwhelming. Perhaps the best way to search the Web for information is through a “portal” or specialized “search engine” devoted to hearing loss. These programs provide access to virtually every Internet site related to hearing loss. For example, www.searchwave.com, an Audiology search engine, lists a menu of topics related to hearing loss, such as Personal Pages, Advocacy-Self-Help, Science and Research, Professional and Manufacturers.

If you click on Advocacy-Self-Help, you can reach more than 50 consumer groups around the world, including Hear Now (an organization that collects and donates used hearing aids), Lions Hearing Aid Programs, American Tinnitus Association, and H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers).

Certainly, the World Wide Web will never replace a visit to a hearing care professional, but when used properly, health care Web sites can support the work of professionals and increase the general level of information available to people seeking hearing help.

More information about hearing is available at www.digilife.com.

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