14 Types of Hearing Loss Treatments You Should Know About

Understanding the different types of hearing loss and their solutions will help you feel more comfortable and confident that you are making the right decision for you or your loved one.

Every story of hearing loss is different, and the causes vary widely from person to person. For example, your hearing loss may affect one or both ears, and as stated on Fairway Hearing, this may be due to a problem in the inner, middle, or outer ear, or a combination.

However, there is one constant for anyone affected by hearing loss: knowing what it is and what is causing it is key to finding the right solution.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve is damaged or does not function properly. With sensorineural hearing loss, sounds are not only “softer”, but also difficult to understand, especially when there is a lot of noise.

Common causes of Sensorineural Hearing Loss include:

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve is damaged or does not function properly. With sensorineural hearing loss, sounds are not only “softer”, but also difficult to understand, especially when there is a lot of noise.

• congenital hearing loss
• Aging
• Exposure to loud noises
• head injury
• Genetics
• Illness
• Adverse drug reaction

Treatment options include:

• Earphones
• cochlear implants

High frequency hearing loss

High-frequency hearing loss is a type of sensorineural hearing loss in which it is possible to hear some sounds at a lower pitch, but not high-frequency sounds such as birdsong.

The most common causes of high-frequency hearing loss include:

• congenital hearing loss
• Aging
• Exposure to loud noises
• head injury
• Genetics
• Illness

• Adverse drug reaction

Treatment options include:

• Earphones
• Electroacoustic implants (hybrids)

One-sided deafness

Sensorineural hearing loss can occur in one or both ears. If the loss is in one ear, it is often referred to as single-sided hearing loss or single-sided deafness. This is when there is little or no hearing in one ear, but normal hearing in the other ear.

Common causes include:

• viral infections
• Illness
• Adverse drug reaction
• Head or ear injuries.
• Other unknown reasons.

Treatment options include:

• CROS (Contralateral Routing of Signal) hearing aids: these pick up, sounds from the “bad” side (deaf ear) and transmit them to the “good” ear (the one with normal hearing).
• Bone conduction implants: Their function is similar to that of CROS hearing aids, only they conduct sound through the bone to the inner ear.

Conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is damage or obstruction to the middle or outer ear, which prevents sound waves from reaching the inner ear or cochlea at full amplitude. With this type of hearing loss, the ears may feel plugged and speech may sound muffled, especially if there is a lot of background noise.

Common causes include:

• Birth defects such as Microtia and Atresia
• Syndromes such as Down, Goldenhar and Treacher Collins
• Chronic mastoiditis or middle ear infections.
• Skin growth or cyst (cholesteatoma)
• Chronic ear infections
• Previous ear surgeries
• benign tumors

Treatment options include:

• Medication
• Surgery
• Earphones
• Bone conduction implants.

Mixed hearing loss

Mixed hearing loss refers to a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there can be damage to the outer or middle ear as well as the inner ear.

Common causes of mixed hearing loss include:

• Any of the causes of conductive hearing loss in addition to the causes of sensorineural hearing loss.

Treatment options include:

• Medication
• Surgery
• Earphones
• Bone conduction implants.

Understanding the condition, knowing why it happens is essential to take the next step, that is, the treatment that will allow you to recover what you thought was lost forever: your hearing