Hearing loss is a common problem, and can be caused by many things. Some people experience hearing loss due to age, disease, or injury. Other people may have hearing loss due to listening to loud music, or watching movies over the ear. More often than not, the cause of hearing loss is unknown, but it’s essential to get a good hearing test to find out what’s causing it. There are a few different types of hearing tests that you can take to find out if you have hearing loss. Here, we will discuss three different types of hearing loss.
1. Conductive Hearing Loss
This type of hearing loss is caused by sudden changes in the air pressure around the ear. These changes can occur when you are in a noisy place, or wearing a diving mask, or earplugs. Conductive hearing loss can also be caused by earwax and otosclerosis, which is a condition that causes the bone to grow inside the ears. It can also be caused by a decrease in fluid in the inner ear, which causes damage to the hair cells that send signals to your brain.
2. Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss, and can affect anyone at any age. This type of hearing loss occurs in the inner ear. It is usually caused by damage to hair cells, or the auditory nerve. Hair cells are small sensory cells that exist in the inner ear membrane, and help to convert sound vibrations into electrical impulses sent along the auditory nerve to your brain. When these hair cells or auditory nerves are damaged, you can no longer hear as well, and will have difficulty with hearing high-pitched sounds, such as voices, ringing, or buzzing sounds.
Sensorineural hearing loss is usually caused by an injury to your inner ear, like a broken bone, or a head injury. This hearing loss can also be caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise such as a gunshot or explosion. If you experience sensorineural hearing loss, you will notice it gradually over time, and may not notice it until years after it occurred. A sensorineural hearing loss test is an excellent way to determine if you have hearing loss.
3. Mixed Hearing Loss
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. It occurs when the inner ear is damaged, but the auditory nerve is still working fine. Mixed hearing loss can be caused by an infection in the inner ear, like a tumor, or exposure to loud noise over time. When you have mixed hearing loss, you will have trouble understanding what people are saying, and will not be able to hear as well as someone with only sensorineural hearing loss or no hearing at all.
The above are the three types of hearing loss. Each one can be treated differently to restore hearing. If you have hearing loss, you should discuss it with an audiologist. The audiologist will determine what are the causes of hearing loss you have, and set up the appropriate treatment plan.