Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is one of the biggest health concerns in the U.S. It is the third most commonly reported physical condition, following arthritis and heart disease. It affects roughly 20 percent of the American population and can strike people of all ages.

The most common causes of hearing loss are noise exposure and aging.

What Are the Symptoms of Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is a progressive condition that worsens over time. Symptoms appear so gradually, you may be completely unaware of your affliction for some time. Even when hearing loss is suspected, it takes an average of seven years for a person to seek medical treatment.

Knowing the signs is helpful in spurring you to take action sooner. Any of the following might indicate hearing loss:

  • Frequently asking people to repeat what they have said.
  • Feeling like others mumble when they speak.
  • Having difficulty following conversations in which background noise is present.
  • Turning up the volume on the television or radio.
  • Avoiding social gatherings in noisy places.

Often, a family member or friend will be the first to notice a hearing problem. Since treatment is most effective when begun early, if you think you might be suffering from diminished hearing, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. The sooner, the better!

How Is Hearing Loss Diagnosed?

In order to diagnose hearing loss, your doctor will review your medical history, discuss your symptoms, and give you a physical examination followed by a hearing evaluation consisting of a series of audiological tests.

What Are the Types of Hearing Loss?

Treatment will depend on your type and degree of hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss occurs when there are problems in the outer ear, ear canal, eardrum or middle ear. It can be caused by any of the following:

  • Ear infection
  • Fluid in the ears
  • Malformation or abnormalities of the outer or middle ear
  • Impacted earwax
  • Foreign object in the ear
  • Allergies
  • Perforated eardrum
  • Otosclerosis
  • Benign tumors

Conductive hearing loss is often correctable with surgery or medications (typically antibiotics). Alternatively, it may be treated with hearing aids.

Sensorineural hearing loss involves a problem with the inner ear, and is frequently referred to as “nerve deafness.” It may be caused by any of these:

  • Noise exposure
  • Head trauma
  • Aging (presbycusis)
  • Viral disease
  • Autoimmune ear disease
  • Meniere’s disease
  • Malformation or abnormality of the inner ear
  • Otosclerosis
  • Tumors

Sensorineural hearing loss can sometimes be treated with medications (corticosteroids) or surgery. More likely, hearing aids will be required.

Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both types. Treatment might involve a combination of medication, surgery and/or hearing aids.

Call us at 203-396-6895 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Symptoms of hearing loss include difficulty understanding what others are saying, asking people to repeat themselves, struggling to hear in crowded places with distracting background noise, the perception that others are mumbling or not speaking clearly, listening to the television or radio at a higher volume than others, experiencing a ringing or buzzing in the ears. You may find yourself withdrawing from social situations in order to avoid conversation and might experience depression.

A number of factors can cause hearing loss. The most common include aging, noise exposure, ear infections, excessive earwax, ear or head trauma, genetics, birth defects, benign growths or tumors, otosclerosis, Meniere’s disease and reactions to drugs

Yes. There are three types of hearing loss: Sensorineural, conductive and mixed. Sensorineural is the result of damage to the inner ear nerves. Conductive is the result of obstructions in the outer or middle ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combination of the other two types; this means that in one ear you have an issue with the outer or middle ear and the inner ear.

 

Some types of hearing loss are preventable. Noise-induced hearing loss can be avoided by wearing proper hearing protection when exposed to occupational or recreational noise and turning down the volume on your TV, radio or personal music device. To prevent other types of hearing loss, avoid sticking cotton swabs or other objects in your ears, blow your nose gently through both nostrils and swallow or yawn frequently when traveling by airplane.

 

Hearing aids are instruments that amplify sounds in order to enable those with hearing loss to hear more clearly.

 

Today’s hearing aids are small and discreet, and some models are completely invisible to others. Besides, asking people to repeat themselves, responding inappropriately when others are talking and social withdrawal are more obvious indicators of hearing loss than wearing hearing aids.

 

Choosing a hearing aid can be a daunting task. Your audiologist will work closely with you to take into account several factors – the type and severity of your hearing loss, your lifestyle, the size and shape of your outer ears and inner ear canals and your manual dexterity – in order to determine the best hearing device for you.

 

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that converts sound to digital signals that are sent to the brain, bypassing damaged nerve cells, where they are translated as sound. Whereas hearing aids amplify sounds, cochlear implants enable the user to understand speech and speak more clearly. They help patients with severe or profound hearing loss who can’t benefit from hearing aids.

 

Assistive listening devices (ALDs) are portable amplifiers that may be used either in conjunction with hearing aids and cochlear implants or on their own. They separate speech from background noises, making it easier to follow conversations in certain environments where distance, competing distractions or poor acoustics are factors.