Hearing Loss

About Hearing Loss

WHO has estimated that disabling hearing loss affects more than 400 million people worldwide, including tens of millions of children. It is classified as conductive problem conducting sound to inner ear, sensorineural damage to inner ear or auditory nerve, or mixed. Common causes of conductive hearing loss include ear wax impaction, otitis media middle ear infection, otosclerosis, and perforated eardrum. Sensorineural hearing loss causes include noise exposure, aging presbycusis, genetic factors, ototoxic medications, Meniere disease, acoustic neuroma, and infections. According to the World Health Organization, a substantial proportion of hearing loss is preventable. Noise induced hearing loss is a growing problem, with WHO estimating that over a billion young people are at risk from unsafe listening practices earbuds at high volume. Symptoms include difficulty understanding speech, especially in noisy environments, needing to increase volume, tinnitus, and social withdrawal due to communication difficulty. Diagnosis requires audiometry. Treatment depends on cause and severity: wax removal, hearing aids, cochlear implants for severe to profound loss, and surgery for conductive causes. Hearing aids amplify sound and are effective for most hearing loss. Cochlear implants bypass damaged hair cells and directly stimulate the auditory nerve, effective for severe to profound sensorineural loss. Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears needs urgent medical assessment, as early treatment can matter.