Understanding the Different Types of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is common. A significant number of people experience it at different life stages, even though not all hearing loss types are the same.

So, if you’re wondering the reason behind your potential impairment, we think understanding the differences between the causes is a great place to begin. That way, you could make the most reasonable judgment when choosing the treatment that works best for you.

In this guide, we’ll get to the bottom of the four main types of hearing loss, their main characteristics, and how they can impact people’s lives in multiple ways.

If you’d like to know more about their nuances, let’s dive into hearing loss variations, symptoms, and potential treatments you can find here at Hearing Associates of Las Vegas.

How Do You Define Hearing Loss?

Generally, a loss of hearing is a condition that impacts people’s capability to hear sounds. There are different ranges from mild hearing loss to something more severe. 

People with average hearing typically don’t have any issues hearing words in conversations, especially if background sounds or loud noises can be a distraction.

But for people who experience hearing loss, there can be miscommunication and difficulty even with small conversations in crowded or busy spaces.

What Are the Causes?

Various reasons could result in hearing loss, which include:

• Ear infections or medical conditions have temporary side effects leading to a lack of hearing.
• Age-related hearing loss can impact us as we age. It could be a gradual change that could result in needing assistive devices like hearing aids.
• Excess exposure to loud sounds can result in sudden hearing loss. The hairs in the ear canal are sensitive, so too many loud noises can adversely impact our hearing.
• Genetics can also play a part in profound hearing loss, especially for infants struggling in their development stages. So, some of us learn to live with this condition from an early age.

Four Types of Hearing Loss

Our experts have compiled the four types of hearing loss people experience, both temporary and permanent. The main types include:

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

This is damage or an injury to the auditory nerve in the innermost part of the ear. If you’re experiencing permanent hearing loss, this is the most common form. It can be due to old age, genetics, or even medications.

Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent. So, if you discover it more in the severe stages, this is where hearing aids and cochlear implants are used to help improve hearing and reduce background noises.

Conductive Hearing Loss

The next type is conductive hearing loss, which typically impacts your ear’s middle and outer areas. Sometimes, it can be difficult to hear more faint noises, and louder sounds will feel muffled. This could be due to earwax build-up or potential ear infections or blockages to the ear pathway. 

Generally, those who go through conductive hearing loss will hear things quieter than they are. Thankfully, it’s temporary and can be treated once you determine the root cause. 

That’s why, at Hearing Associates of Las Vegas, we want to evaluate your hearing levels immediately to ensure you get the correct diagnosis and treatment suitable to your needs.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Like its name, this is a mix of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. Mixed hearing loss can affect the sound waves as they struggle to pass through the middle ear. It can also show how the hair cells in the inner ear have been damaged, so more areas are complex than one.

You can treat mixed hearing loss in many instances. But it would depend on how mild or severe the impairment is. For example, some patients may need medical treatment, like surgery, to see results. While others would benefit from hearing aids as the cause could be genetic or more profound.

Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder

The final type is auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD), which affects how we process sounds and transmit them from our ears into the brain. For example, if the auditory nerve cannot function as it should, it can be detrimental to how we receive sounds.

Those diagnosed with ANSD may struggle to understand speech and have a higher sensitivity to noises than usual, particularly with speech sounds. It can impact people of varying ages, from moderate to more severe hearing loss examples. But luckily, treatment programs and hearing aids are there to help.

Benefits of Diagnosing Hearing Loss Early

Diagnosing hearing loss early aims to enhance someone’s quality of life, confidence, and well-being. Some stand-out advantages include:

• Improved communication skills: In social environments, you can tell others you have a hearing impairment. That way, those around you know how to better communicate with loud noises and find accommodations.
• The earlier, the better: When you discover any hearing loss, you can work on treating it promptly. For example, discovering you have sensorineural hearing loss at the early stages can ensure you get the right cochlear implants fitted to improve how you take in sounds.
• Leading to happiness: You’ll hopefully feel more comfortable sharing with others about your hearing loss, which is beneficial in a work environment or social setting. You won’t have to feel left out and can still grasp independence.

Different Types of Hearing Loss

People with hearing loss can experience the world differently from what a regular hearing person does daily. Depending on the type of hearing loss, whether it’s something permanent like sensorineural or temporary like conductive hearing loss, will determine how it can be best treated.

At Hearing Associates of Las Vegas, we want you to have peace of mind knowing that your hearing loss is something we treat regularly. So, why not come in for a hearing evaluation and check your ear health to see what possible treatments could benefit your specific type of hearing loss?