Why Do I Have Hearing Loss?
Understanding the cause of hearing loss is vital for prevention and treatment. Whilst hearing loss is either conductive (middle and external ear) or sensorineural (cochlear hair cell or cochlear nerve), knowing the cause helps to predict how the condition will progress and what the best treatment options are.
There are many causes of hearing loss, including age, noise exposure, genetics, and certain diseases or infections.
Is Hearing Loss Treated Differently Today?
Treatment for hearing loss has changed dramatically. Now, hearing aids are not the only way forward. Surgery, aids and devices like cochlear implants are all common options (depending on the cause), but the careful evaluation by a multidisciplinary team is key to success.
Modern hearing aids have also improved. They are smaller, more effective and much more discreet than in previous years.
How Do I Know What Treatment is Best for Me?
Diagnosis and recommendation is key to successful rehabilitation. Some cases require more than a standard hearing test to rule out other ear and brain conditions.
Most conductive hearing loss cases can be treated surgically, often with procedures that involve day surgery and relatively low-risk.
What About Tinnitus Associated with my Hearing Loss?
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ear, is associated with many types of hearing loss. Some types, including one-sided or pulsatile tinnitus, require more investigation, however most cases of tinnitus can be helped by expertly fitted hearing devices like hearing aids or implantable devices, or a specialised tinnitus management program.
What About One-sided Hearing Loss or Single Sided Deafness?
Losing hearing in one ear now has more possibilities for treatment than in previous years. Treatment ranges from using Contralateral Routing Of Signals (or CROS) aids, which take sound from one ear and transmit it to the other, to using implantable devices like cochlear implants, which are effective for most cases.
Hearing Rehabilitation – Better Hearing for All - Related Content
Hearing Devices – Hearing Aids to Cochlear Implants
When looking at hearing rehabilitation, it’s vital to get the diagnosis right. At Ear Science Surgery, Professor Marcus Atlas and the Ear Science team will give your diagnosis the time and care it requires.
Otosclerosis
Otosclerosis is a condition where abnormal growth in the tiny bones of the middle ear leads to the stapes bone becoming fixed in place. The stapes bone must move freely for the ear to work properly and hear well.