What is hearing loss?
For some people, the cause of hearing loss is the result of a gradual buildup of earwax, which blocks the ear canal and prevents conduction of sound waves. Earwax blockage is a cause of hearing loss among people of all ages.
In most cases, however, hearing loss results from damage to the inner ear. Aging and prolonged exposure to loud noise may cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that send sound signals to the brain. When these hairs or nerve cells are damaged or missing, electrical signals aren’t transmitted as efficiently, and hearing loss occurs. Higher pitched tones may become muffled to you.
It may become difficult for you to pick out words against background noise. Heredity may make you more prone to these changes. Ear infection and abnormal bone growths or tumors of the outer or middle ear can cause hearing loss. A ruptured eardrum also may result in loss of hearing.
In short, the three types of hearing loss are:
Conductive
sounds are not passing through the ear canal and into the inner ear as they should be. This can be due to wax, a middle ear infection, or related problems in the outer/middle ear.
Sensorineural
the hearing loss is due to a deficit in the inner ear (or beyond). This can be due to the loss of hair cells within the cochlea, neural phenomena like auditory neuropathy, or other processing difficulties.
Mixed
a combination of the above two types of hearing loss.
Now that you have learnt about what hearing loss is, check out the ways you can prevent hearing loss.
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