The sounds may seem muffled and people may seem to mumble. While sensorineural hearing loss can't, it can be effectively treated with hearing aids, which amplify and process sounds around you so you can hear and understand. Hearing loss affects people of all ages and can be caused by many different factors. The three basic categories of hearing loss are sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss.
Here's what patients should know about each type. There is no medical or surgical method to repair tiny hair-like cells in the inner ear or auditory nerve if they are damaged. However, sensorineural hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants, depending on the severity of the loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss.
It occurs when the nerves in the inner ear and hair cells become damaged, perhaps due to age, noise, or something else. Sensorineural hearing loss affects the pathways from the inner ear to the brain. Most of the time, sensorineural hearing loss cannot be corrected medically or surgically, but can be treated and helped with the use of hearing aids. About one in three people between 65 and 74 years old have hearing loss, and nearly half of people over 75 have hearing difficulties.
However, some people may not want to admit that they have trouble hearing. Many people assume that people with profound hearing loss can't benefit from hearing aids, but this isn't true. It turns out that virtually all major hearing aid manufacturers offer a version of their products for people who can't normally hear sounds below 90 dB. In addition to being slightly larger than regular hearing aids, these powerful or super-powerful versions offer many of the same functions as regular hearing aids.
Conductive hearing loss is caused by problems with the ear canal, eardrum, or middle ear and its small bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup). Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is due to problems of the inner ear, also known as nerve-related hearing loss. The symptoms of mixed hearing loss will be a combination of those listed above for the other two types of hearing loss. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which converts sound waves into electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier.
Learn more about hearing loss at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. In addition, researchers are investigating the use of computer-aided technology to design and manufacture better hearing aids. When sensorineural hearing loss develops later in life, which is more typical, it can be due to a wide variety of triggers. Medicare does not cover hearing aids for adults; however, diagnostic evaluations are covered if ordered by a doctor to help the doctor develop a treatment plan.
The type of hearing aid recommended for the person depends on the person's activities at home and work, their physical limitations and medical condition, and their personal preferences. Mixed hearing loss is caused by a combination of conductive damage to the outer or middle ear and sensorineural damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve. Many people with this condition have hearing loss from birth, while others get it through injury or infection throughout their lives. In sensorineural hearing loss, a person has problems with the inner ear (cochlea) or the acoustic nerve.
A telecoil also helps people hear in public facilities that have special sound systems installed, called induction loop systems. The cause may be sensorineural or conductive, and treatment varies depending on the cause of the hearing loss and how long the person has had it. They are generally not recommended for young children or people with severe to profound hearing loss because their small size limits their power and volume. Directional microphones hold great promise for making it easier for people to hear a single conversation, even when they are surrounded by other noises and voices.
Conductive hearing loss is more common in children who may have recurrent ear infections or who insert foreign objects into the ear canal. . .
