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Functional Gain (FG) Mode
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What is FG Mode: Allows for in-situ confirmation of the enhancement of broad spectrum audibility
provided by the Earlens System by streamlining device settings to achieve useful test data in a
matter of minutes.
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When to use it: It is intended for use during aided threshold testing in the sound field. By
comparing aided and unaided thresholds, you can derive a measure of the gain produced by the
Earlens System in response to soft inputs. This gain is representative of the gain applied at the
compression threshold after fine-tuning to the needs of the patient.
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How it works: FG mode minimizes the potential impact of various signal processing strategies on
the audibility of the test stimulus. When in this mode, expansion, noise reduction algorithms and
directional microphones are disabled. With these settings, the gain prescribed for that individual's
hearing level for soft speech inputs in each channel is applied.
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What you can learn from FG testing: FG measures are intended to provide an indication of low
level audibility across the full frequency range of the Earlens system. By performing sound field
threshold testing with narrow band noise stimuli in aided and unaided conditions, it is possible to
generate an aided audiogram, clearly illustrating the benefit of
amplification.
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Steps to perform FG:
a. Connect the Processors.
b. Instruct the patient that their Earlens Hearing Aids will
be set to a special test mode that will allow you to
measure the improvement in hearing due to the
Earlens Hearing Aid. They may hear an increase in
the noise floor as expansion is disabled.
c. Select "FG Mode" under Tools in the Tool Bar.
d. A pop-up window will open and display the patient's
audiometric values and space to enter aided threshold
data (Figure 29).
e. Disconnect the HI-PRO 2 cables from the Processors,
making sure to leave the FG Mode open in ELF.
f.
Situate the patient in the appropriate test location in
the calibrated test booth sound field, facing the target
speaker.
g. Each ear should be independently tested. For the non-test ear, remove the Processor
and plug the ear with a foam insert/plug.
h. Instruct the patient to raise their hand or press the response button when they are able to
detect the test stimulus, even if the sound is very soft.
i.
Make sure your soundfield has been calibrated for narrow-band noise stimuli, a backup
alternative test stimuli is pulsed warble tones.
j.
Present pulsed, narrow band noise stimuli, using your usual threshold seeking procedure.
Mark the aided threshold at each test frequency.
k. Switch to the other ear, and repeat.
l.
Once testing is completed, reconnect the Processor(s) to the HI-PRO cables.
m. Exit FG mode by selecting "Exit Functional Gain Mode." Do not leave the Processor in
functional gain mode.
n. Make sure you save the program after completing the testing to ensure the aided
thresholds are saved.
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Illustrate the Earlens Benefit with Sound Field Threshold Entry
ELF allows you to enter aided threshold data for Earlens and conventional hearing aid devices to
illustrate the Earlens benefit.
Figure 29: FG Mode Window
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