Victorian Hearing’s own Audiologist Nicole Bowden joined Ed Phillips on Health and Wellbeing to talk about hearing loss a condition which affects one in six Aussies:
What are the causes of Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can occur as a result of exposure to loud noise, head trauma, virus, age, family history, certain drugs, ear infections, perforated eardrum or blockage in the ear canal.
What are the different types of hearing loss?
The ear is made up of 3 parts – the outer, middle and inner ear. The type of hearing loss is determined by which part of the ear is affected.
For example, the outer and middle ear allows the sound to be physically transmitted to the inner ear. If this mechanical system is disrupted in any way, such as wax blocking the ear canal, a hole in the eardrum, ear infection, fluid in the middle ear or the if the bones of the middle ear become fused or dislocated, it would result in a conductive hearing loss.
When the inner ear is affected by noise exposure, drugs, the aging process, virus or head injury, a sensorineural hearing loss would occur.
When both the inner and middle/outer ear are affected, such as when an ear infection is present with an underlying noise induced hearing loss, it is termed ‘mixed’ hearing loss.