TYPES OF HEARING LOSS

There are three types of hearing loss:

• Sensorineural
• Conductive
• Mixed

A sensorineural hearing loss occurs when inner ear or the hearing nerve are damaged which prevents or weakens nerve signals to the brain. This loss generally occurs when some of the hair cells within the cochlear are damaged. Sensorineural loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It can be treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants.

A conductive hearing loss occurs in the outer or middle ear where sound waves are not able to carry all the way through to the inner ear. Sound may be blocked by earwax or a foreign object, the middle ear space may be impacted with fluid, infection or bone abnormality, or the eardrum may have been injured. Atresia is an example of a conductive hearing loss.

A mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.