The major causes of hearing loss include:

1. Conductive hearing loss

2. Sensorineural hearing loss

There are various hearing loss treatments available. If you believe you are suffering from any form of hearing loss it is wise to see an audiologist or medical professional to assess the loss and get corrective measures prescribed.

Types of Hearing Loss:

1. Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is in most cases a reduction in hearing ability, especially of faint or soft sounds as a result of a blockage. Sound is not transmitted through the outer ear to the eardrum. In many instances this can be corrected by removing the blockage, sometimes requiring surgery.  If you have been ill, especially colds and flu, the fluids in the ear can affect your hearing.

Common conditions that can cause conductive hearing loss include:

1. Dense earwax blocking the hearing canal
2. Earache, usually resulting from inflammation of the ear canal

Other conditions include:

1. Fluids in the middle ear as a result of colds and flu
2. Ear infection
3. Tumour
4. Something lodged in the ear
5. Temporal bone trauma

2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Occurs as a result of damage to the inner ear or the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. (Vestibulocochlear nerve) or processing centres of the brain. In general this is permanent, and cannot be corrected through surgery or other means.

Sensorineural hearing loss can range in severity from mild to total deafness and can impact on speech. The majority of this type of loss is caused by abnormalities in hair cell function. These abnormalities may be present at birth or result from external causes.

Sensorineural hearing loss can result from:

• Illness
• Disease
• Drugs
• Excessive noise
• Viruses
• Head trauma
• Tumour
• Genetics

Measuring Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can result from a wide range of environmental and/ or biological factors and generally affects older Australians, but can also impact on your Australians and newborns.

The above conditions can also occur in combination or only affect 1 ear (Unilateral hearing loss). Fluctuating hearing loss is when the level of hearing changes, usually as a result of illness. Whatever the type oor cause of your hearing loss, the correct diagnosis and resulting treatment is critical to your rehabilitation.

The degree of hearing loss is usually measured by the degree of loudness, measured in dB(decibels) that can be heard by an individual. This degree of hearing is then usually rated as follows in terms of decibel ranges and age. (There is some debate as to the effectiveness of hearing loss measurement, given noise, frequencies and ability to interpret speech all play a part):

Mild

• Adults - around 25-40dB
• Children around 20-40dB

Moderate - around 41-70 dB

Severe - around 71-90 dB

Profound - around 90dB or greater

Circumstances, accents, acoustics, unfamiliar words or speech impediments can also affect the ability to hear clearly and cannot be ignored. Noisy situations however are usually the worst, as determining the direction or source of a sound can be hard in conjunction with filtering out background noise.

What To Do

If you think you are suffering from hearing loss, don't guess. Read up, educate yourself on possible causes, but consult your doctor or audiologist to get a proper diagnosis and treatment.