Sensori-neural hearing loss
Sensori-neural hearing loss is by far the most common hearing loss.The condition refers to problems in the cochlea or auditory nerve. Most are due to the deterioration of the tiny hair cells that line the cochlea and transmit sound to the auditory nerve and then the brain. This accounts for over 90 % permanent hearing loss. Often it is a natural part of ageing, but other causes could be:
- Tramatic exposure to noise
- Genetic desposition
- Viral infections of the inner ear
- Certain medical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Head injury
Sensori-neural hearing loss cannot be corrected medically, but a hearing instrument can almost always help.
Conductive Hearing loss
This condition is caused by any obstruction that prevents sound waves from reaching the inner ear. Some of the causes of conductive hearing loss can include:
- An accumulation of earwax
- A collection of fluid in the middle ear
- Abnormal bone growth in the middle ear (otosclerosis)
- Middle ear infections (otitis media)
- Perforation of the eardrum
- Conductive hearing loss can be corrected with surgery and/or hearing aids.
Mixed Hearing Loss
Hearing loss that includes both a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss. his means there is damage to both the outer and inner ear. The outer ear cannot conduct sound properly to the inner ear, and the inner ear can’t process the sound to be sent to the brain.