1 out of 10 adults will have at least a mild hearing loss. Approximately one out of 1000 babies is born with a hearing loss and, over the age of 65, 1 out of 3 people suffers from age-induced hearing loss. This being so, most people remain living for years without being aware of this issue.
If you have struggled to hear in the last several years or noticed others struggling to hear, you are not alone and some people can help. Do not delay, visit an ENT specialist for proper care diagnosis.
What is Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss happens when something in your ear stops working the way it should. It sneaks up quietly. Conversations start slipping past you. You catch half a sentence and nod along, hoping it was nothing important.
It has the potential to impact your work, your relationships, and your confidence. Most people don’t realize that it is going because it takes years or months to occur.
The sooner you detect it, the sooner you can do something about it.
Types of Hearing Loss
There are three main types:
Conductive Hearing Loss: The outer or middle ear is not functioning properly. This is sometimes due to an infection, earwax or a perforated eardrum. Most cases can be treated.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Damaged inner ear – typically due to ageing or long exposure to loud sounds. This is the most common type in adults. While it is, in most cases, permanent, hearing aids and cochlear implants will enable most restoration of hearing function.
Mixed Hearing Loss: A mixture of both. The outer ear, middle ear and inner ear all have problems.
Symptoms of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss builds up gradually. These are the symptoms to look out for:
- Frequently repeats oneself to convey meaning
- You have a hard time keeping up with phone conversations
- It is present in the surroundings, and people appear to be talking in a mumble.
- The TV or phone volume is turned to a very high level
- You are unable to hear high-pitched objects or noises such as doorbells or birds
- You hear a ringing sound in your ears (tinnitus)
- You experience a blocked, painful or pressured ear
- You feel dizzy or have balance problems
What are the Causes of Hearing Loss?
There are a variety of causes of hearing loss. These are the most prevalent:
Loud Noise: Too much exposure to loud events, headphones used at high levels, factories or activities of construction work damages the small cells in the inner ear. Those cells can’t be re-created after suffering damage.
Presbycusis: Naturally, the inner ear weakens with age. This loss of hearing is known as age-related hearing loss or presbycusis. It is very prevalent after 60 years of age.
Ear Infections: Ear infections, swimmer’s ear or fluid buildup behind the eardrum can interfere with the transmission of sound to the inner ear. The majority of these causes are treatable.
Ear Wax Accumulation: If there is an excess of earwax, it can build up and may obscure sound in the ear. It may be safely removed by a doctor.
Health Condition: Hearing loss can be caused by a decrease in blood to the ear due to health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Medications: Certain drugs (called ototoxic medications) adversely affect the function of the inner ear as a side effect. If you are concerned at all, consult your doctor.
Some babies are born with a hearing loss as a result of a birth defect or an infection that occurred during the mother’s pregnancy.
How is Hearing Loss Diagnosed?
The doctor diagnoses your ears to test if there is any kind of infection or obstruction. You may be required to visit an audiologist, an expert in hearing disorders.
Common tests include:
Pure-tone audiometry: determines the lowest intensity sound levels that are audible at various frequencies
OAE test – checks if your inner ear is functioning properly
Tympanometry: it is used to assess how compliant (flexible) your eardrums are.
Computerised tomography (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – used if a tumour or injury is suspected.
Results range from Normal to Mild, Moderate, Severe and Profound. This can assist your doctor to determine the appropriate treatment for you.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Treatment depends on the type and cause of your hearing loss.
For Conductive Hearing Loss:
- Infection treatment – antibiotic ear drops/antibiotics.
- Safely remove any ear wax/foreign objects.
- Operation on the ear drum – surgery for perforated ear drum/eardrum surgery/tympanoplasty.
- Insertion of drainage tubes into the ear – grommets/tubes to drain the fluid/tympanostomy.
- Hearing loss following surgery for removing the ear tumour.
- Use medicines to reduce swelling in the ear – e.g., Corticosteroids. Use medicines for inner ear inflammation – e.g. Corticosteroids.
- Hearing aids – small, modern and hardly noticeable.
- Cochlear implants – severe or profound loss (when hearing aids are not sufficient)
For Mixed Hearing Loss: If part of the ear is affected, a combination of the above.
For adults, the most frequent remedy is using a hearing aid. Of course, they have advanced considerably and today’s instruments are thin, efficient and user-friendly. Cochlear implants are connected directly to the auditory nerve and are able to provide hearing even in very severe cases.
How to Prevent Hearing Loss
It is not possible to avoid the loss. But you can always take prevention steps to keep it safe.
- Earplugs – wear during concerts, noisy machinery, or building work.
- Limit the volume of earphones to less than 80% and take a break every 90 minutes.
- Do not put anything in the ear canal (such as cotton swabs)
- Get regular exercise to prevent high blood pressure and diabetes
- Avoid smoking – this will have an impact on circulation to ears.
- Control long-term health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure
- Talk with your health care provider about any medicines you are taking that may impact hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Can hearing loss be cured?
Q2. What is the difference between hearing loss and deafness?
Q3. Can hearing loss affect mental health?
Q4. Is hearing loss common in babies?
Q5. Can loud music damage my hearing permanently?
When should I see a doctor?
As soon as you notice any change. Sudden hearing loss is a medical emergency; act immediately.
Aastha Hospital, trusted multispeciality hospital in Siliguri is a good place to avail access to Expert Hearing Care.
In Aastha Hospital, you can get complete hearing care services, starting from hearing test to diagnosis, treatment with hearing aids, cochlear implant treatment. We treat patients of all ages, including babies and elderly males.
Make an appointment for a hearing consultation now. Good hearing is just around the corner.