Hearing loss is identified through an audiogram or hearing test, which can reveal patterns that suggest possible causes. Below are some common causes of hearing loss and how they’re typically treated.
Note: In many of these cases, your audiologist and physician will work as a team to assess and treat you.
- Physical malformations of your ear, such as a missing, significantly narrowed or collapsed ear canal, can cause hearing loss. Your physician/surgeon will assess and treat these conditions.
- Wax impaction (wax buildup) in your ear canals can cause hearing loss. This is easily treated by removing the wax, with methods ranging from over-the-counter products to professional removal by a medical expert.
- A hole in your eardrum can cause hearing loss due to changes in how the eardrum vibrates. Your physician/surgeon will assess and treat this condition.
- Middle ear fluid occurs when the Eustachian tube (the pathway from the back of your throat to the middle ear) doesn’t open and close properly to allow airflow into the middle ear. This is common in children due to their ear anatomy or enlarged tonsils/adenoids. Your physician/surgeon can assess and treat this condition.
- Otosclerosis occurs when the stapes bone in your middle ear becomes affixed (stuck) to the inner ear. The middle ear bones act like a piston, but when the stapes stiffens, its reduced movement prevents sound from reaching the inner ear or cochlea properly. Your physician/surgeon can assess and treat this condition.
- Noise exposure—from gunfire, heavy equipment, amplified music, lawn equipment or farm machinery—can damage the sensory hair cells in your inner ear, leading to hearing loss. Once these hair cells are damaged, they can’t be replaced. We recommend using hearing protection to prevent further damage. If your hearing loss progresses, hearing aids may be necessary.
- Heredity or age can also cause hearing loss, typically not treatable medically. In these cases, hearing aids are often the best solution.
- Tumors on the hearing nerve can develop at any age. If you experience gradual hearing loss in one ear, along with ringing, buzzing or hissing sounds, you may have this condition. Dizziness can occur alongside hearing issues because hearing and balance mechanisms are linked in your inner ear. Your audiologist will assess this condition, which is usually benign (noncancerous), and your physician/surgeon can provide treatment options.
Specialties
Physical malformations, Ear canal (missing, narrowed, collapsed), Hearing loss, Physician/surgeon assessment, Wax impaction, Wax buildup, Over-the-counter products, Professional removal, Eardrum perforation, Hole in eardrum, Eardrum vibration, Middle ear fluid, Eustachian tube dysfunction, Children, Ear anatomy, Enlarged tonsils, Adenoids, Otosclerosis, Stapes bone fixation, Middle ear bones, Piston function, Inner ear, Cochlea, Noise exposure, Gunfire, Heavy equipment, Amplified music, Lawn equipment, Farm machinery, Sensory hair cell damage, Hearing protection, Hearing aids, Heredity, Age-related hearing loss, Tumors on hearing nerve, Gradual unilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Ringing, Buzzing, Hissing, Dizziness, Balance mechanisms, Audiologist assessment, Benign, Noncancerous