Types of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss is the result of an issue in the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from reaching the inner ear. Many cases of conductive hearing losses are temporary and are easily treated with medication or surgery. In other cases, people often benefit from the use of a hearing aid.

Many factors can cause conductive hearing loss, but some more common reasons are having fluid in the middle ear from colds, ear infections, allergies, perforated eardrum, impacted earwax, benign tumors, swimmer’s ear, foreign obstruction in the canal, and absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss is the result of an issue in the inner ear and occurs when hair cells in the cochlea are missing or damaged. The hair cells are responsible for producing nerve signals to the brain in order to interpret sounds.

The more common causes of sensorineural hearing loss include illnesses, ototoxic drugs, genetics, aging, head trauma, malformation of the inner ear, and exposure to loud noise.

Mixed Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss is a combination of  conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. It typically occurs when there is damage to either the outer or middle ear as well as the inner ear or auditory nerve.

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