Just as we are all different, hearing loss is, too. A Sonus®Hearing Care Professional will explain these various types of loss and, with your input, create a customized solution that fits your lifestyle and needs. They will explain the technical aspects and address any concerns you may have.

Put simply, problems found in different parts of the ear will cause different types of hearing loss. Here are the three types and some of their causes and symptoms:

Conductive:

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot reach the inner ear due to problems in the outer and/or middle ear. If you suffer from this, you may often have the feeling of pressure or fullness in your ears and have difficulty hearing faint sounds. The most common causes include earwax impaction, middle ear infection, outer ear infection or foreign body impaction. This type of hearing loss can usually be medically or surgically corrected.

Sensorineural:

Sensorineural hearing loss happens when there has been damage to the inner ear. If you suffer from this, you may often have difficulty understanding speech, especially when there’s background noise. Another common symptom associated with it is tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Sensorineural hearing loss may be caused by birth, injury, ototoxic drugs, genetics, viruses, head trauma, aging or noise exposure. In general, the preferred solution for sensorineural hearing loss is to fit you with hearing aids.

Mixed:

Mixed hearing loss occurs when there’s a problem in your inner ear and outer or middle ear. It’s a combination of a conductive and sensoineural hearing loss.