The Prevalence of
Hearing Loss

Did you know that hearing loss actually affects people of all ages? It’s estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians experience some form of hearing loss that can stem from a wide variety of different causes.

Aside from experiencing difficulties with hearing, hearing loss can have a significant effect on your overall quality of life. It can lead to feelings of social isolation, depression, cognitive impairment and more. The goods new is, there is always help available and tons of online resources to help educate you.

One of the most important factors that determine the treatment for your hearing loss is understanding which specific type of hearing loss you have: sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, or mixed hearing loss. The expert audiologists at NexGen Hearing will shed some light onto the different types of hearing loss, their symptoms, causes, and more!

Elderly Man Trying to Listen Carefully

The Different Types of
Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can vary significantly in its severity and can either affect one of both ears. The 3 main types of hearing loss are differentiated based on the location of where it occurs:

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the result of damage to the inner ear – typically the cochlea or the auditory nervous system.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss is hearing loss in the middle/outer ear and involves the ear drum, ear canal, and middle ear bones.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss – both inner and outer ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Causes

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss and is typically the result of the inner ear or actual hearing nerve being damaged through injury, loud noises, specific drugs, and with aging.

Symptoms

Individuals who suffer from sensorineural hearing loss will typically will experience the following symptoms:

  • Trouble Hearing High-Pitched Sounds
  • Balance Problems & Dizziness
  • Tinnitus (Ringing in the ears)
  • Reduced Ability to Hear Speech Clearly
  • Sounds & Voices Seem Muffled

Treatment

Either age-related or injury-induced hearing loss can be effectively treated and dealt with via hearing aids. Prevention is key!

Elderly Woman with Sensorineural Hearing Loss
A Woman with Conductive Hearing Loss Plugging Her Ears

Conductive Hearing Loss

Causes

Conductive hearing loss occurs when the pathway for sound to travel is blocked. It typically occurs when the inner ear is blocked from excess earwax, fluid build-up, or if your ear drum gets ruptured or perforated.

Symptoms

The symptoms of conductive hearing loss are similar to sensorineural hearing loss and will ultimately result in a reduced ability to hear sound, but not the clarity of the sound. It comes across as a sense of “plugged” ears

Treatment

Many causes of conductive hearing loss are actually treatable and be either  completely reversed or significantly reduced. Common treatments include: earwax removal, antibiotics for infections, or surgery. Hearing aids are also a common solution.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Causes

As mixed hearing loss is a combination of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, it can either be age-related, due to an earwax blockage, a result of an infection, or noise-induced.

Symptoms

A combination of the symptoms from both other forms of hearing loss with a reduced ability to hear sounds being the common experience. Some other symptoms might include pain or a fluid discharge.

Treatment

The most important factor to treating hearing loss is understanding what type of hearing loss an individual has. Once the cause of the hearing loss is determined, the appropriate treatment can be administered: either antibiotics, earwax removal, surgery, or hearing aids.

Mixed Hearing Loss Evaluation

What type of hearing Loss Do You Have?

Not Sure What's Causing Your Hearing Loss?

Book an appointment with the expert audiologists at NexGen hearing to find out what type of 
hearing loss you have and what the appropriate treatment is. 
 
Don’t let hearing loss impact the quality of your life, let us help!
[gravityform id="9" title="false" ajax="true"]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *