What is Hearing Loss?
Over 6.3% of population in India suffers from significant auditory impairment. A person is said to suffer from hearing loss when their hearing threshold is higher than 20dB. Needless to say, hearing loss can significantly impact a person’s ability to function optimally and can have significant impacts on emotional health and well-being as well.
What are the Types of Hearing Loss?
There are three different types of hearing loss, sensorineural, conductive and mixed hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when the inner ear is defective or when the nerve pathways are damaged. Sensorineural hearing loss may result from ageing, illness, infection, trauma or a variety of other causes. This type of hearing loss can typically not be repaired however, people suffering from this type of hearing impairment can usually benefit from the use of hearing aids. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss can occur over the course of a few days. It is essential to get medical help immediately in the case of sudden sensorineural hearing loss to prevent further deterioration in hearing health. Conductive hearing loss typically occurs when the sound waves are blocked from reaching the inner ear, either due to foreign objects blocking the inner ear or blockage of the inner ear due to fluid build-up. This is common in children who get recurrent ear infections. Conductive hearing loss can be often be addressed through medical or surgical intervention. This is common in children who get recurrent ear infections. Mixed Hearing Loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. This can happen for instance when one is exposed to extremely loud noises while at the same time suffering from fluid buildup in the ear canal.
Hearing loss can also be categorized depending upon the degree of hearing loss, ranging from mild to severe hearing loss. People suffering from mild hearing loss often cannot hear any soft sounds. People suffering from moderate hearing loss cannot hear normal conversation. Those suffering from severe hearing loss can only hear very loud noises and profound hearing loss can severely impact people’s hearing function with being able to hear only extremely loud noises.
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