Experiencing problems with your hearing can be extremely frustrating. When this happens, you may be wondering what is causing it and how you can manage your hearing impairment. Different parts of your ears work together to collect sound, create vibrations, and transfer sound waves to the brain. For this process to happen, all three parts of the ear — the external, middle, and inner — must be working correctly.
Depending on which part of your ear is damaged will impact the way you need to treat your hearing loss. If you think you may have a hearing impairment, it’s important to understand what type of hearing loss you have so you can treat it accurately and effectively. El Dorado Hearing is here to walk you through the types of hearing loss and how you can manage your hearing limitations.
Types of Hearing Impairment
Not all hearing loss is the same. Follow along for a look into three different types of hearing loss.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
As the most common type of hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss results from damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve. The damage can be caused by various factors ranging from aging to exposure to loud noises. Some of these causes of sensorineural hearing loss include:
- Hereditary deafness
- Premature birth
- Birth asphyxia
- Antibiotic drugs
- Auditory nerve tumor
Sensorineural hearing loss is not able to be treated medically or surgically. However, patients can restore some of their hearing ability with hearing aids.
Conductive Hearing Loss
Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a problem within the ear that is preventing sound waves from traveling from the outer ear to the inner ear, such as earwax buildup or an ear infection. If the underlying conditioning causing the hearing loss is treated, the patient can restore their hearing with a treatment plan. A hearing specialist may recommend medical or surgical intervention if they discover the individual has:
- Excessive ear wax
- Diseases of the outer and middle ear
- Congenital defects in the outer or middle ear
- Upper respiratory tract infections
Mixed Hearing Loss
Those suffering from hearing loss may not only be experiencing conductive or sensorineural hearing loss. They may be experiencing mixed hearing loss, a combination of these two types of hearing loss. They may have a sensorineural hearing loss and develop a conductive component such as excessive ear wax, a foreign object located in the ear canal, or ear infections.
You must undergo a hearing evaluation to uncover which type of hearing impairment you’re experiencing to ensure you get the right treatment plan in place.
Hearing Loss Treatment
One of the most effective hearing loss treatments is hearing aids. Hearing aids are available in many sizes, styles, and technologies, allowing individuals to find a pair that meets their specific needs.
If hearing aids aren’t suitable for you, a hearing specialist can review many alternatives to hearing aids to help restore your hearing. We provide complete evaluations at El Dorado Hearing to assist in managing your hearing loss. Our hearing specialists are highly experienced and offer an in-depth hearing assessment to evaluate whether you have hearing loss and the extent to which the loss affects you.
We strive to make our hearing offices comfortable where everyone feels welcome. We’ll help you find the proper hearing aids to restore your hearing. For personalized hearing testing in Tucson, AZ, make El Dorado Hearing of Tucson first on your list.
If you are ready to regain control of your hearing, visit us at one of our hearing clinics. Contact us today to set up an appointment with one of our caring and expert hearing specialists!
info@ElDoradoHearing.com
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