Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

•    Sound energy is blocked from reaching the inner ear normally.
•    Possible causes include: fluid behind eardrum, earwax build-up,
      perforated eardrum, fixation of middle ear bones, etc.
•    In many cases, it may be medically or surgically treatable.
•    Typically, these individuals obtain significant benefit from hearing aids;
      however, surgical correction is frequently an option if medically appropriate.
      o    May receive significant benefit from osseointergrated implanted
            hearing aids if medical treatment or air conduction hearing aids
            are not appropriate.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

•    Inner ear (cochlea) and/or hearing nerve damaged so sound is not processed
      normally.
•    Possible causes include: noise, medications, disease, aging etc.
•    In some cases (less than 10%), it is medically or surgically treatable.
•    These individuals often obtain significant benefit from hearing aids or
      other amplifying devices.
•    Cochlear implants often provide significant hearing to children and adults
      who do not receive the benefit from hearing aids.

Mixed Hearing Loss

•    There is both a conductive and sensorineural part to the hearing loss.
•    A portion of the loss may be medically or surgically treatable.
•    Typically, these individuals will obtain significant benefit from hearing aids or
      other amplifying devices.

  Common Signs of Hearing Loss

•    Feeling you can hear, but you can’t understand the words clearly.
•    Feeling others mumble when speaking.
•    Ringing or hissing noises in your ears or head.
•    Turning up the TV or radio.
•    Frequently asking others to repeat conversation.
•    Poor speech development in young children.
•    Worsening of school performance in children.

Effects of Hearing Loss on Communication

The type of hearing loss and its severity determines how a person’s communication will be effected.
 
Mild Hearing Loss

•    Causes difficulty hearing soft speech at conversational level.
•    Difficulty hearing in noise.
 
Moderate Hearing Loss

•    Causes difficulty hearing speech at conversational level.
•    Increasing difficulty in group discussions and significant problems
      understanding in background noise.

Moderately-Severe Hearing Loss

•    Can hear only loud speech in quiet situations.
•    Extreme difficulty understanding conversation in background noise.

Severe Hearing Loss

•    Typically will not hear loud speech.
•    Relies heavily on speech/lip-reading cues.
•    May be a candidate for a cochlear implant.

Profound Hearing Loss

•    May hear loud environmental sounds.
•    Likely to be a good cochlear implant candidate, depending on duration
      of profound hearing loss.