Hearing LossSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is being partly or totally unable to hear sound in one or both ears.
Decreased hearing; Deafness; Loss of hearing; Conductive hearing loss; Sensorineural hearing loss; Presbycusis
Symptoms of hearing loss may include:
- Certain sounds seem overly loud in one ear
- Difficulty following conversations when two or more people are talking
- Difficulty hearing in noisy areas
- Trouble telling high-pitched sounds (such as "s" or "th") from one another
- Less trouble hearing men's voices than women's voices
- Hearing voices as mumbled or slurred
Associated symptoms may include:
- Feeling of being off-balance or dizzy (more common with Ménière disease and acoustic neuroma)
- Feeling of pressure in the ear (usually due to fluid behind the eardrum)
- Ringing or buzzing sound in the ears (tinnitus)
Conductive hearing loss (CHL) occurs because of a mechanical problem in the outer or middle ear. This may be because:
- Sound is not reaching the eardrum.
- The eardrum is not vibrating in response to sound.
- The 3 tiny bones of the ear (ossicles) are not conducting sound properly.
Causes of conductive hearing loss can often be treated. They include:
- Buildup of wax in the ear canal
- Damage to the very small bones (ossicles) that are right behind the eardrum
- Fluid remaining in the ear after an ear infection
- Foreign object that is stuck in the ear canal
- Hole in the eardrum
- Scar on the eardrum from repeated infections
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) occurs when the tiny hair cells (nerve endings) that detect sound in the inner ear are injured, diseased, do not work correctly, or have died. This type of hearing loss often cannot be reversed.
Sensorineural hearing loss is commonly caused by:
- Acoustic neuroma
- Age-related hearing loss
- Childhood infections, such as meningitis, mumps, scarlet fever, and measles
- Ménière disease
- Regular exposure to loud noises (such as from work or recreation)
- Use of certain medicines
Hearing loss may be present at birth (congenital) and can be due to:
- Birth defects that cause changes in the ear structures
- Genetic conditions (more than 400 are known)
- Infections the mother passes to her baby in the womb, such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, or herpes
The ear can also be injured by:
- Pressure differences between the inside and outside of the eardrum, often from scuba diving
- Skull fractures (can damage the structures or nerves of the ear)
- Trauma from explosions, fireworks, gunfire, rock concerts, and earphones
You can often flush wax buildup out of the ear (gently) with ear syringes (available in drug stores) and warm water. Wax softeners (like Cerumenex) may be needed if the wax is hard and stuck in the ear.
Take care when removing foreign objects from the ear. Unless it is easy to get to, have your health care provider remove the object. Don't use sharp instruments to remove foreign objects.
See your provider for any other hearing loss.
Contact your provider if:
- Hearing problems interfere with your lifestyle.
- Hearing problems do not go away or become worse.
- The hearing is worse in one ear than the other.
- You have sudden, severe hearing loss or ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
- You have other symptoms, such as ear pain, along with hearing problems.
- You have new headaches, weakness, or numbness anywhere on your body.
The provider will take your medical history and do a physical exam.
Tests that may be done include:
- Audiometric testing (hearing tests used to check the type and amount of hearing loss)
- CT or MRI scan of the head (if a tumor or fracture is suspected)
- Tympanometry
The following surgeries may help some types of hearing loss:
- Eardrum repair
- Placing tubes in the eardrums to remove fluid
- Repair of the small bones in the middle ear (ossiculoplasty)
The following may help with long-term hearing loss:
- Assistive listening devices
- Safety and alert systems for your home
- Hearing aids
- Cochlear implant
- Learning techniques to help you communicate
- Sign language (for those with severe hearing loss)
Cochlear implants are only used in people who have lost too much hearing to benefit from a hearing aid.
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Dr. Nieman is an associate professor in the division of otology, neurotology and skull base surgery in the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Her clinical practice is dedicated to the medical and surgical management of hearing loss and Eustachian tube disorders. Dr. Nieman's research is directed at understanding and addressing hearing health disparities among older adults, particularly among vulnerable populations. Her work focuses on the development and implementation of innovative, community-delivered approached to affordable, accessible hearing care. Dr. Nieman is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hearing Loss. She is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Hearing Loss, Infant Hearing Loss, Jones Syndrome, DFNB1, and Myringotomy. Dr. Nieman is board certified in Head And Neck Surgery.
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center — Bethesda
Dr. Wade Chien is a fellowship-trained neuro-otologist who sees adults and children with complicated hearing and ear problems, including hearing loss; severe ear infections; vestibular schwannoma (Acoustic neuroma); and neoplasms of the ear and temporal bone. Please call 301-896-3346 for an appointment. Dr. Chien is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hearing Loss. He is also highly rated in 11 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Hearing Loss, Infant Hearing Loss, Familial Deafness, and DFNB1. Dr. Chien is board certified in Head And Neck Surgery.
UT Southwestern - Otolaryngology Clinic
Brandon Isaacson is an Otolaryngologist and a Plastic Surgeon practicing medicine in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Isaacson is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hearing Loss. He is also highly rated in 33 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Glomus Tympanum Tumor, Acoustic Neuroma, Schwannoma, Mastoidectomy, and Endoscopy.
Background: Hereditary hearing loss is one of the most common sensory disabilities affecting newborns. The main options for people with hereditary hearing loss are hearing aids and cochlear implants. Both options have their limitations and do not restore biological hearing. Researchers want to learn if gene editing might be a treatment option.
Summary: The goal of this observational study is to learn how listening effort affects brain development and daily life in school-aged children (ages 6-18) who use cochlear implants (CIs), which are electronic devices surgically placed in the ear to help children with severe hearing loss hear sounds. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do children with CIs use more mental energy to listen than childr...
Published Date: May 02, 2024
Published By: Josef Shargorodsky, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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