Improved Hearing Can Often Improve One’s Quality of Life Dramatically
Many people who report benefits including greater self-confidence, closer relationships with loved ones, and an improved outlook on life. There is a lot of life left to hear!
There is a Lot of Life Left to Hear!
Because most cases of hearing loss develop gradually, it’s common for people affected to not recognize it. Normal sounds of daily life can disappear without even noticing. Only after it starts to affect speech recognition and communication do some people become aware of the problem.
Early intervention is important. The sooner steps are taken to manage hearing loss, the easier it will be to determine a solution. Our ability to hear is centered in the brain, and the longer it is deprived of certain sounds, the harder it will be to retrain the brain to hear these sounds later. Hearing aids can prevent or reduce the impact of this deterioration.
Causes of Sensorineural Hearing Loss:
- Aging
- Injury
- Excessive noise exposure
- Viral infections (such as measles or mumps)
- Shingles
- Ototoxic drugs (medications that damage hearing)
- Meningitis
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- High fever or elevated body temperature
- Ménière's disease (a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance)
- Acoustic tumors
- Heredity
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Hypertension
Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss are Typically “Obstructions” Such as:
- Infections of the ear canal or middle ear resulting in fluid or pus buildup
- Perforation or scarring of the eardrum
- Wax buildup
- Dislocation of the middle ear bones (ossicles)
- Foreign object in the ear canal
- Otosclerosis (an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear)
- Abnormal growths or tumors
