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Types of Hearing Loss
By Soundrich Hearing
There are mainly 4 different categories in which loss of hearing can be classified depending on the root cause, which are as follows:
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
This occurs due to damage to the inner ear or the actual hearing nerve itself becomes damaged, often because some of the hair cells within the cochlea are damaged. It is the most common type of hearing loss and can occur due to aging, loud noise exposure, disease, injury, certain types of drugs, or inherited physical conditions. Such hearing loss is often not treatable medically or surgically (except sudden sensorineural hearing loss which occurs very suddenly or over the course of a few days, in which case, prompt medication within a couple of weeks may help address the condition). However, hearing aids can be very beneficial for people afflicted with this kind of hearing loss.
Conductive Hearing Loss
This is a type of hearing impairment which occurs in the middle or outer ear. In this case, sound waves are not able to pass through to the inner ear because of reasons such as ear canal blockage by accumulated earwax or a foreign object within it, infection, middle ear space being impacted with fluid, a bone abnormality, or injury to the eardrum. This is very common among children who suffer from repeated ear infection or those who have the habit of inserting foreign objects in their ears. This condition may be reversed through medical or surgical intervention.
Mixed Hearing Loss
At times, people may be afflicted by both, sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, where they first have the sensorineural type of hearing loss and later end up developing the conductive type of hearing loss in addition.
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder
This is a type of disorder where the sound enters the ear like in any normal case; however, owing to damage to the inner ear or the hearing nerve, it doesn’t get organized in a manner that the brain can make sense out of. Which effectively means, the brain does not register the sound input, and therefore, the patient is unable to hear it.
Another way hearing loss is categorized is depending on how the person suffering from it experiences it:
- Unilateral or Bilateral
Whether the hearing loss is only in one ear (unilateral) or in both ears (bilateral)
- Pre-lingual or Post-lingual
Whether the hearing loss has happened before the age where the person learned to talk (pre-lingual) or after he/she learned to talk (post-lingual)
- Symmetrical or Asymmetrical
Whether the hearing loss is similar for both ears (symmetrical) or is at a different level for each ear (asymmetrical)
- Progressive or Sudden
Whether the loss of hearing has gradually been worsening over time (progressive) or occurred quickly (sudden)
- Fluctuating or Stable
Whether the hearing loss tends to vary over time, getting better or worse at different times (fluctuating) or remains the same over time (stable)
- Congenital or Acquired/Delayed Onset
Whether hearing impairment was present at birth (congenital) or occurred somewhat later in life (acquired or delayed onset)
Yet another common condition with hearing is Tinnitus, which is described as a constant ringing sound experienced by the patient in the ears. This sound does not have any external source and therefore, will not be heard by anyone else apart from the one who suffers from the condition. This condition can cause loss of focus and concentration, and can therefore have a negative effect on studies, work, and general life.
Levels of Hearing Loss Severity
Depending on the extent to which hearing has been impaired, a person’s hearing loss is classified into four different levels:
Mild Hearing Loss
A person who has mild hearing loss will be able to hear some speech sounds, but will find it difficult to hear soft sounds
Moderate Hearing Loss
A person with moderate hearing loss will not be able to hear most of the speech sounds when the other person is talking at a normal speaking volume
Severe Hearing Loss
A person with severe hearing loss will not be able to hear any speech sounds when the other person is talking at a normal speaking volume, and the only sounds that he or she would be able to hear are loud sounds.
Profound Hearing Loss
A person with profound hearing loss will not be able to hear any speech sounds because a human would be unable to speak in a volume that can be audible to someone with profound hearing loss. Such persons are only able to hear sounds that can be classified as very loud sounds.
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