Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

This type of Hearing Loss occurs when an obstruction prevents sound from getting to the inner ear. This may be caused by wax, fluid or even the shape of your inner ear. This type of Hearing Loss can often be treated through removal or medical interventions such as medicine or surgery.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It is caused by damage to the inner ear nerves or hair cells.  Leading causes are age and noise damage. Sensorineural hearing loss impacts the pathways from your inner ear to your brain. Sensorineural Hearing Loss is often best aided by the use of a Hearing Aid system.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.

Levels of Hearing Loss

There are four different levels of hearing loss that patients can experience:

Mild
Difficulty keeping up with conversations, particularly in noisy environments.

Moderate
Difficulty keeping up with conversations when not wearing a hearing aid.

Severe
Heavily reliant on a hearing aid. Lip reading will sometimes be relied upon, difficulty hearing in the presence of any surround sound.

Profound
Heavily reliant on a hearing aid, with lip reading more readily used, will most likely require the assistance of hearing aid accessories to maximise hearing.

Causes of Hearing Loss

This is not an exhaustive list but the most common causes of Hearing Loss that we see are caused by the following:

• Presbycusis (aging effects)
• Autoimmune inner ear diseases
• Exposure to loud noises
• Glue ear (a temporary and reversible condition)
• Head trauma
• Hereditary issues
• Malformation of any part of the ear
• Meneire’s disease
• Otosclerosis
• A side effect of drugs such as chemotherapy
• The result of virus or disease
• Wax

Dependant on the cause of the Hearing Loss, it may be temporary or permanent. The sooner this is diagnosed, the better the chances of saving your Hearing in certain cases.