Hearing Loss Info >> Types of Hearing Loss >> Leading Causes of Hearing Loss >> Symptoms and Stages of Hearing Loss >>

TYPES OF HEARING LOSS:

• Conductive hearing loss - involves the breakdown or obstruction of some part of the external or middle ear. The physical vibrations of sound are no longer transmitted or conducted through air, bone, or tissue because of the obstruction. Most problems are medically correctable.

• Sensorineural hearing loss - is caused by damage or a disorder of the inner ear or of the auditory nerve, nerve fibers going from the inner ear to the brain stem. Older terms for a sensorineural hearing loss were "nerve loss" or "perceptive loss". This is the most common type of hearing loss and is often caused by aging or prolonged exposure to noise. High fever, birth defects and certain drugs can also cause it. People with sensorineural hearing loss can hear speech, but frequently have difficulty understanding it. The problem is usually compounded when background noise is present. A hearing loss involving the inner ear or the auditory nerve is more difficult, often impossible to treat medically. Most individuals with a sensorineural hearing loss find that a properly fitted hearing instrument is their principal or sole means to improved hearing.

• Mixed hearing loss - is a combination of more than one type of loss, both conductive and sensorineural. Most of these cases can be helped by either a hearing instrument or surgery.