Hearing Loss

Information on hearing loss and your health.

Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is the inability to hear in one or both ears. Every hearing loss is different and ranges in severity. There are also different types of hearing losses. Three most common types of hearing loss are sensorineural, conductive, and mixed.

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the cochlea in the inner ear or damage to the hearing nerve. This can occur due to illness, medications, head trauma, or exposure to loud noise. Sensorineural hearing loss can also happen naturally, as the result of the aging process. This type of hearing loss is the most common and responds well to hearing aids.
Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot be conducted through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. This is usually the result of impacted earwax, fluid in the middle ear, ruptured eardrum, ear infections, trauma to the eardrum, or allergies. Conductive hearing loss is typically treated with surgery or with an antibiotic.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive. First the conductive portion would need to be treated by a physician and then we can help manage the sensorineural portion with hearing aids.

Signs of Hearing Loss

For many people, hearing loss occurs gradually, over the course of a few years. For this reason, it can be difficult to recognize that you have hearing loss because you have become accustomed to not hearing certain sounds or frequencies. If you have experienced a combination of the following, then it’s time to have your hearing checked.

Hearing and Brain Health

Those with hearing loss often wait an average of seven years before they seek treatment. Some people wait because they are afraid to address their hearing loss while others don’t want to seem old. However, leaving hearing loss untreated can lead to some serious consequences. Our hearing is connected to our brain health. When left untreated, hearing loss can have negative effects on brain functioning and can lead to more serious issues, including cognitive decline. This is because our brain plays a key role in our ability to hear. We don’t hear with our ears; we hear when sound reaches the auditory cortex of the brain. Your brain needs your hearing to process sounds, understand information, and for healthy memory. In order to keep your brain healthy, it’s important to manage hearing loss right away, at the first signs. Hearing aids are a great way to keep your brain healthy because they allow you to hear the sounds you have been missing.

Hearing Loss in Children

At Valley Hearing Center, we provide comprehensive hearing services to patients of all ages, including children. Your child’s hearing is important for their social, emotional, and cognitive development. If you think your child has a hearing loss, bring them in for a hearing evaluation. Our audiologist and hearing specialists have years of experience helping children with hearing loss.

It’s important to recognize the signs of hearing loss in your child. Some indications of hearing loss include:

They are inattentive
They have limited, poor, or no speech
They fail to respond to conversation-level speech
They have difficulty learning
They don’t respond to their name
They need to have the TV at a higher volume
They become frustrated when there is background noise

If your child has shown any of these signs, please contact us for an appointment.