If you’re one of the nearly 48 million Americans suffering from hearing loss, you know that hearing loss affects your health, career, relationships, and self-confidence. You or your loved one might feel isolated and depressed. 

With these depressing statistics, you may wonder if there is a surgery to cure hearing loss. For some people, surgery can help correct their hearing loss, but for most, it’s not the best option. 

Let’s discuss the types of hearing loss and which kind makes you a candidate for surgery.  We will also explore other options to improve your hearing and your life. 

Stages of Hearing Loss

Stage 1- Mild Hearing Loss

When the quietest sounds you can hear are between 25-34 dB, you will find yourself with mild hearing loss, or Stage 1. You may be asking yourself, well, what would a sound be in this range? 

Here’s a helpful guide to understanding decibel levels in your daily life:

• 10 dB- Unlabored breathing
• 20 dB- Ticking of a watch
• 30 dB- Whispering
• 40-60 dB- Typical conversation
• 70 dB- Washing machine
• 90 dB- Lawn equipment
• 100-110 dB- Max volume for television or radio
• 110 dB- Shouting close to your ear
• 120 dB- Concert music concert
• 140 dB- Gunshots or firecrackers

If you notice difficulty hearing every word during conversations, especially in a noisy setting, you probably are at Stage 1, mild hearing loss. Some quieter sounds like a watch ticking or a child’s voice may also be hard to hear.

Stage 2: Moderate Hearing Loss

The next stage of decline with your hearing loss is Stage 2. The quieter sounds within your hearing range register between 35 and 49 dB. This is when things start to become serious, affecting your daily life. This is when you should be further tested and fitted for hearing aids.

Moderate hearing loss can make it hard to carry on most in-person conversations, and those over the phone are even hard to decipher.

Stage 3: Moderately Severe Hearing Loss

When your hearing loss reaches Stage 3, you’re in the moderately severe category, and the quietest sounds you can perceive will be between 50 and 64 dB. This stage will put you in the “hearing aids required” category because you will have trouble hearing most sounds. 

You won’t be able to participate in regular conversations even in the quietest setting, and some louder noises may not even be noticed. This will feel scary and can certainly be so because you may not hear a loud noise connected to something that could harm you.

Stage 4: Severe Hearing Loss

Stage 4 hearing loss leaves you with severe hearing loss when the quietest sounds you hear are between 65 and 79 dB. You may need to have your hearing aids adjusted or upgraded at this stage. Potent hearing aids will be necessary, or you will not hear most sounds.

Stage 5: Profound Hearing Loss

Once you’ve reached Stage 5 hearing loss, your condition will be severe. The quietest sounds you will hear at this stage will be 80 dB or higher. This means you may be able to hear your lawn mower, but anything softer will require hearing aids or even implants.

Surgery to Cure Hearing Loss: What Works and What Doesn’t

Sensorineural hearing loss

With sensorineural hearing loss, the hair cells of the inner ear or the nerve pathways that connect the inner ear to the brain are damaged. This is the most common type of hearing loss in adults. It occurs for various reasons, such as exposure to loud noise, trauma, diseases, medication, tumors, or simply old age.

This hearing loss is permanent, and surgery can’t repair damage to the sensory hair cells. However, two types of surgery can bypass the damaged hair cells.

Cochlear implants

People with severe to profound hearing loss may want cochlear implants.  Hearing aids amplify sound, but a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the auditory system to stimulate the auditory nerve helping you hear. 

You will need a complete evaluation of your health, including an ear examination and overall health. You will not be a candidate for this procedure unless you’ve been unsuccessful with hearing aids, as this is an invasive surgery. 

Implantable hearing aids

For those diagnosed with mild to moderately-severe hearing loss, the decision may be made to move to an extended-wear hearing aid like the Lyric, which Phonak makes. No need to take this hearing aid out at night to charge batteries, this unit can be worn for a couple of months. 

Since it’s placed so close to the eardrum, many users boast that it provides a very natural sound. Wear it in the shower or during exercise without worry since the Lyric is water resistant. 

If you have a small ear canal, this unit may not be suitable for you. Also, the Lyric may not provide enough assistance if your hearing loss is severe. This option can also be expensive since it will need servicing, which takes a visit to a hearing specialist.

Conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss is when damage or an obstruction in the outer or middle ear prevents sound from being conducted to the inner ear. This can be temporary or permanent. There are a few surgical and medical interventions that can help restore hearing.

PE tubes

If you or your child has chronic ear infections, a doctor might insert small pressure equalization (PE) tubes in your eardrum. An ENT surgeon places these tiny cylinders through the eardrum to allow air into the middle ear. 

Short-term tubes fall out on their own in about 6  to 18 months. Long-term tubes are in place longer and are usually taken out by the surgeon. 

Children are the most common recipients of PE tubes; however, they can also benefit adults with conductive hearing loss. 

Bone-anchored hearing systems

Cochlear implants are widely known as the go-to implant but are not the only game in town. 

Bone-anchored hearing systems have a two-part structure. The implant is surgically placed into the bone directly behind your ear, which is combined with a tight-fitting hearing aid over the implant. Sound vibrations will travel through the bone, registering in the inner ear.  

These are great for conductive hearing loss, meaning those with middle or outer ear abnormalities. These systems require one functioning inner ear to work effectively.

Stapedectomy

For those with otosclerosis, the option of a stapedectomy may be their best bet since otosclerosis occurs in the middle ear when the stapes bone gets cemented in place. The sound signals are halted when it can’t vibrate, resulting in hearing impairment. 

This surgery implants a prosthetic device intended to bypass the abnormal hardening of bone tissue in the middle ear. This creates a new path for hearing to occur. 

Surgery isn’t for everyone. But there is help for everyone

In the future, there may be more options for surgical interventions for those with hearing loss.  Right now, surgery can only correct specific cases, and most people with hearing loss benefit most from wearing hearing aids.

If you have hearing loss, the most important thing you can do is see us for an evaluation. Contact us today to see how we can help you hear and live better!