Hearing Aid

Any kind of disability to hear clearly and properly is called hearing damage. There are numerous causes that may lead to this particular condition. Some of these causes are discussed below.

The most common kind of hearing damage is the one induced by noise. Sound is something that cannot be totally avoided. But, there is a limit to the loudness of sound that is safe for the human ear. Above this limit, sound becomes noise and constant exposure to such noise is dangerous to the human ear. This may damage some very sensitive structures in the ear. Therefore, amongst the causes of hearing loss, noise is a major one.

These sensitive structures are called hair cells that are present in the inner ear. They convert sound in to electrical signals that get transferred to the brain. Once damage is done to these cells, they can never grow back. Excessive exposure to loud noise level can stimulate the formation of certain molecules in the ear. These molecules kill off the hair cells gradually, resulting in hearing damage and even deafness.

Hearing loss may also be caused due to genetic defects or injury.

There are three types of hearing loss. The first is Conductive Hearing Loss. This happens when the sound that reaches the ear is insufficient. This will result in disability to perceive soft sounds and reduced intensity of normal or even loud sound. It may be caused due to inherent defect in the structure and functioning of the middle and inner ear, accumulation of earwax, ear canal infection, a foreign body, or infections.

The second type is Sensorineural Hearing Loss. This is due to damaged inner ear or the cochlea or the nerves from the ear to the brain. This not just reduces hearing ability but also affects the ability to understand speech. Its cause may be genetic syndromes, aging, head trauma, viruses, noise, drugs, birth injury or even diseases.

The last type is Mixed Hearing Loss. This is a combination of the above two. This involves damage to both inner as well as outer ears. There are various degrees of hearing loss. They are: normal range, mild loss, moderate loss, severe loss, and profound loss of hearing. There may be other configurations of describing hearing loss. It may be unilateral or bilateral, asymmetrical or symmetrical, sudden or progressive, and stable or fluctuating hearing loss.

However, hearing damage or hearing loss is not totally a hopeless scenario. There are various techniques available to reduce the impact of hearing loss.

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