Hearing Loss

Hearing loss that comes on gradually as you age, additionally referred to as presbycusis (pres-bih-KU-sis), is common. Nearly 50% of the people in the US over the age of 75 have some age-associated hearing loss.

There are 3 forms of hearing loss:

• Conductive, regarding the outer or middle ear.
• Sensorineural, regarding the inner ear.
• Mixed, which is a combination of the two.

Aging and being near loud noises, both can cause a loss of hearing. Other factors, like excessive earwax, can make it difficult to hear for a period.

You typically can’t get hearing back. However, there are ways to improve what you hear.

Parts of the ear

The ear is composed of 3 main parts: the outer, middle and inner ear. Each part is comprised of structures that play individual roles in the process of transforming sound waves into sound signals that go directly to the brain.

Symptoms

Symptoms of hearing loss might include:

• Muffled speech and other sounds.
• Difficulty comprehending words, particularly when in a group or noisy places.
• Challenges hearing the sounds of letters of the alphabet that are not vowels.
• Repeatedly asking others to speak more slow, clearly and loudly.
• Requiring to turn up the volume of the TV, computer, or radio.
• Staying away from some social settings.
• Being annoyed by background noise.
• Ringing in the ears, referred to as tinnitus.

When To Schedule A Doctor’s Visit

If you have an unexpected loss of hearing, especially in one ear, seek medical assistance sooner than later.

Speak to your doctor if loss of hearing is causing you issues. Age-associated hearing loss happens gradually. So, you may not initially notice it.

To understand how hearing loss occurs, it can be beneficial to understand the way hearing works.

How You Hear

The ear has 3 primary parts: the outer, middle and inner ear. Sound waves move through the outer ear, causing the eardrum to vibrate. The eardrum and 3 minuscule bones of the middle ear make the vibrations larger as they make their way to the inner ear. From there, the vibrations move through fluid in a spiral-shaped part of the inner ear, referred to as the cochlea.

Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are 1,000’s of tiny hairs that assist in turning sound vibrations into electrical signals. These signals are sent directly to the brain. The brain turns these signals into sound.

How Hearing Loss Can Occur

Hearing Loss Causes Include:

• Impairment to the inner ear. Getting older and loud noises could cause depreciation in the hairs or nerve cells inside the cochlea that transmit sound signals to the brain. Impaired or absent hairs or nerve cells do not transfer electrical signals well. Causing hearing loss.
• High pitched sounds might seem muffled. It may be difficult to distinguish words against background noise.
• Earwax buildup. After a while, earwax could obstruct the ear canal, keeping sound waves from passing through. Removing the earwax can assist in restoring hearing.
• Ear infection or uncommon bone growths or tumors. In the outer or middle ear, any of these could be the cause of hearing loss.
• Torn eardrum, also referred to as a perforated eardrum. Loud blasts of noise, sudden pressure changes, jabbing an eardrum with something and infection can cause the eardrum to tear.

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