There are different types of hearing loss and differing
degrees of severity.
Hearing impairment affects many people at different
stages of their lives with 55% of people over 60 years of age
having some degree of hearing loss. So if your
hearing is deteriorating, this is not unusual.
Most hearing loss is caused by the ageing process, however
regular exposure to loud noises, heredity, and some illnesses can
also cause hearing loss.
Around 90% of all cases of hearing loss are because the
microscopic hair cells in the cochlea (or inner ear) become
damaged, which limits their ability to detect soft, higher
frequency sounds which means that they cannot send a complete
signal to the brain.
As a result, it becomes difficult to understand the consonants
that allow us to understand speech. This damage to sensory hair
cells occurs very gradually, so you may not notice that your
hearing is deteriorating.
The first sign of hearing loss is a difficulty in hearing
certain sounds or tones clearly. For example, you may be unable to
distinguish similar-sounding words or hear higher pitched voices,
such as those of children.
Other signs include difficulty with cross-conversations,
hearing at a distance such as in meetings, listening to the TV or
radio, or hearing in large buildings where there may be echoes such
as in churches or auditoria.
Sources: Action on Hearing
Loss Deafness Research
UK
How our hearing works
Understanding how sound travels through your ears to your brain
can help you understand how hearing loss occurs. Click here to find
out How our hearing works
Types and causes of hearing loss
Find out about the different Types and causes of
hearing loss and what causes it.
How we measure hearing loss
Other people don't experience what you can and can't hear, so
here's How we measure hearing loss
in a way that everyone can understand.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus -
noises in the head or ears is a common but often temporary
problem - Click here
to find out what you can do about Tinitus.
Ménière's disorder
Ménière's
disorder is a long-term, often progressive disorder of the
inner ear which affects both balance and hearing - find out
here what you need to do and who can help.
Hearing loss - your questions answered
The key questions people ask us about Hearing
loss and your questions answered.
