What causes hearing loss
Hearing loss faces many Americans and it can be a very daunting thing to deal with, but there are ways to help improve your hearing and treat loss before hearing is entirely gone. While we might associate hearing loss with aging, people of all ages and demographics suffer from it. Hearing loss may come from an accident, overexposure to loud noise, sinus issues, genetic predispositions or disease, so treatment will vary. It’s important to determine the type of hearing loss a person is experiencing before moving forward with treatment.
Types of hearing loss
- Conductive: usually temporary and caused by various conditions in the outer or middle ear, typically created when sound can’t reach the inner ear because of an obstruction. This type of hearing loss occurs due to earwax buildup, chronic ear infections, excess fluids in the ear, foreign objects, a blown eardrum, and other treatable ear-related dysfunctions.
- Sensorineural: a common and usually permanent type of hearing loss due to damage of the inner ear. Head trauma, exposure to severely loud noise, various ear-related diseases, family history, and hearing loss due to aging all fall within this category.
- Mixed: a combination of factors from both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, like an ear infection on top of aging for example.
How to treat hearing loss
Hearing loss is important to treat because it can greatly impact everyday life from not being able to communicate properly or not hear warnings that impact safety. A decline in hearing causes physical and psychological issues in people of all ages. Depending on what is causing hearing loss, there are many different ways to treat it.
Age-related hearing loss is the most common form of hearing loss and affects most people over the age of 75. With the guidance of one of our experts, people in this bracket can shop for different hearing aids and cochlear implants. Hearing aids can be worn in one or both ears and on the inside or outside of the ear, depending on the patient. If the severity of the loss goes beyond hearing aids, a cochlear implant is often the next course of action. Implants do, however, require surgery.
There are also ways to strengthen your hearing with auditory training and rehabilitation, which can be done at home or with the help of a professional. Furthermore, our technologies like television, phones, and computers often have assistive listening devices to help listeners hear better. No one wants to miss what’s being broadcasted out into the world, and there are many ways to help improve hearing at any point along the way.
Ready to improve your hearing? Schedule an appointment with Breathe Clear Institute
Hearing loss can be frustrating for you and the people around you, so we’re here to find the right course of action to improve your hearing and get back into the conversation. Whether you think it’s a temporary loss due to an incident or you feel like your hearing has been deteriorating for a while, we are ready to help.