Hearing loss is present when a person has poor sensitivity to sounds, especially in the speech pitches.
Impairment can be classified by both severity/degree and type.
We will discuss the type of hearing loss, possible causes, and solutions.
There are 3 main categories of loss: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed.
Each differs by location of damage, cause, and treatment.
Conductive Hearing Impairment Often described as feeling plugged up or in a barrel, conductive hearing impairment affects the loudness of sound.
If the volume of the sound is increased, the person typically will hear much better.
For persons with hearing difficulty that is conductive in nature, there is damage or dysfunction in the outer ear and/or middle ear.
The outer ear is the visible portion of the ear and the ear canal leading to the ear drum.
The middle ear is the eardrum and the space behind it containing a small tube (Eustachian tube) and the 3 small bones, often called the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.
This type of impairment is often caused by impacted ear wax, middle ear infections or fluid, dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, head injury impacting the bones of the middle ear, disease processes (e.
g.
, otosclerosis), or birth defects.
The severity of hearing loss may be mild to moderately severe.
Treatment varies from medical intervention of wax removal, pharmaceutical treatment, and/or surgery.
Hearing aids may also be an option.
In some cases, specific types of hearing aids, including bone conduction hearing aids and bone-anchored hearing aids may be warranted.
Sensorineural Hearing Impairment Often exhibited by "hearing" but not "understanding", sensorineural hearing impairment affects the clarity of sound.
Sounds may seem softer and distorted.
Listening in a noisy background may be especially difficult.
For persons with hearing difficulty that is sensorineural in nature, there is damage or dysfunction in the inner ear (cochlea) and/or hearing nerve.
This type of loss may also be known as cochlear, inner ear, neural, or nerve loss.
This type of impairment may be caused by the normal aging process, genetic disorders, birth defects, loud noise exposures, head injuries, diseases (e.
g.
, Meniere's Disease, measles, meningitis, etc.
), and certain types of potent medications that affect the inner ear sensory cells.
The severity of loss can range from mild to profound.
Treatment will vary dependent on the severity of the loss.
Hearing aids are the most typical option.
Digital hearing aids are customizable to the person's impairment and needs, and will aid in background noise reduction.
For more severe hearing impairment, typically in the severe to profound range, cochlear implants may be an option.
Cochlear implants are a surgically implanted option that will not restore hearing to normal, but may aid in returning the sensation of sound.
Mixed Hearing Impairment Persons with this type of loss may complain that sound is soft, muffled, and distorted.
A variety of combinations of the difficulties in the conductive and sensorineural categories may be seen.
For persons with hearing difficulty that is mixed in nature, there is damage in the outer and/or middle ear, as well as the inner ear and/or hearing nerve.
Possible causes include any of those stated previously in the other two categories.
Hearing loss may range of mild to profound.
Treatment typically involves hearing aids, bone conduction hearing aids, or bone-anchored hearing aids.
Medical intervention may also be necessary for treatment of the conductive element of this impairment.
Don't wait! Speak with your hearing healthcare professional today about your current hearing status.
They will guide you through understanding, options, and treatment of your impairment.