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- Conductive - Sound is not able to be conducted (transmitted)
due to a problem with the outer or middle ear. Read more...
There are a number of reasons for a conductive hearing loss.
Here are a few (not all of them):
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Wax accumulation/foreign body in the ear canal: When the ear canal is partially or completely blocked, sound cannot travel very well to the other parts of the ear.
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Eustachian tube dysfunction: When your Eustachian tube does not work properly, the ear drum is not able to move back and forth very well, and the desired sound is not transmitted very well either.
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Buildup behind the ear drum: Fluid buildup behind the ear drum (common in young children) will cause the ear drum to become completely immobile, which will definitely cause a problem with the transmission of sound.
- Sensorineural - Remember, that the hearing nerve (VIII nerve) is responsible for
carrying the sound to the higher centers of the brain to be interpreted.
If the nerve becomes damaged, the desired sound will not be able to be perceived as clearly
than if the nerve was working properly. Read more...
Several causes of sensorineural hearing loss (not all of them) include:
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The Aging Process (also called presbycusis or sociocusis): As we get older, the hearing
nerve is not able to transmit as well as it did when we were younger.
The types of sound most commonly affected are high-frequency
(high-pitched such as a bird singing or a mouse squeeking).
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Noise Exposure: Exposure to 90 decibels (dB) sound pressure level
(a unit of measurement) or more has the potential to cause hearing damage.
90 dB can be tolerated for a period of 8 hours. Every 5 decibels added to
90 dB results in reducing 'toleration time' by one-half. Meaning-you can
tolerate 95 dB for 4 hours, 100 dB for 2 hours, 105 dB for 1 hour, etc.
A typical 'rock concert' can reach levels of 115 to 120 decibels easily. This cause of
hearing loss can be prevented with the proper use of hearing protection.
- Mixed - This is a combination (or mix) of both sensorineural and conductive
hearing loss. One example would be someone with a noise induced hearing
loss (sensorineural) coupled with a fluid buildup behind their ear drum
(conductive) will produce a mixed hearing loss.
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Hearing loss can be divided into 5 categories:
Normal, mild loss, moderate loss, severe loss and profound loss.
- Normal hearing: The individual in question is able to hear normally with minimal difficulty. Please note that a ‘normal hearing’ individual will have difficulty hearing if there is a lot of background noise present and other difficult listening situations (talking between rooms, trying to hear someone with water running next to you, etc.)
- Mild hearing loss: The individual has some difficulty hearing with background noise, but is able to compensate using specific strategies (facing the speaker, moving to a quieter room if there is noise). One-on-one conversation face-to-face usually is not a problem for these individuals.
- Moderate hearing loss: Hearing in background noise is much more difficult, difficulties will arise in one-one-one conversation, and the individual in question will start to avoid certain situations where they know hearing will be a problem.
- Severe hearing loss: Many difficulties arise in one-on-one conversation, background noise renders hearing conversation nearly impossible. Frustration levels with these individuals are quite high, as breakdowns in communication between speaker and listener occurring nearly all of the time. These individuals actively avoid situations where they know hearing will be difficult (which ends up being most situations, and results in increased isolation).
- Profound hearing loss: What laypeople refer to as ‘deaf’. These individuals cannot hear without assistance, and are literally isolated from the outside world.
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