Types of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss can occur at any age, for any number of reasons and those it affects have their own particular story to tell. But in general there are three types of hearing loss: conductive, sensorineural or mixed (which is a combination of both).
The general and most common causes of hearing loss are age and over exposure to loud noise. However, hearing loss can also occur:
- as a result of infection during gestation
- through infection
- after a head injury
- if the eardrum is perforated
- as a result of some cancer treatments
- as a result of taking certain medications
Conductive Hearing Loss
This results from outer and middle ear problems that prevent sound from reaching the middle ear.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
This is caused by damage to sensory cells, or nerve fibers in the inner ear, inhibiting the transmission of information to the brain.
Sound Interpretation
When hearing is diminished we obviously have to concentrate more intensely to understand what is being said to us and process sounds around us. Like learning a new language, this can be extremely tiring, and requires much more mental energy to keep up. Sometimes without even realizing it, we start switching off from the world.
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