Hearing Loss & Evaluations
Is It Time for a Hearing Test?
Hearing loss is a sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear. It is one of the most common conditions affecting older and elderly adults. Having trouble hearing can make it hard to understand and follow a doctor’s advice, to respond to warnings, and to hear doorbells and alarms. It can also make it hard to enjoy talking with friends and family. All of this can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even dangerous.
Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy room?
Do you have more trouble hearing women than men?
Do you ask others to repeat themselves?
Do you avoid going out because you’ll struggle to hear?
Do you notice any ringing or buzzing sounds in either ear?
How We Hear
There are three sections of the ear: the outer ear, middle ear and inner ear. Each section helps move sound through the process of hearing. When a sound occurs, the outer ear feeds it through the ear canal to the eardrum. The noise causes the eardrum to vibrate. This, in turn, causes three little bones inside the middle ear (malleus, incus, stapes) to move. That movement travels into the inner ear (cochlea), where it makes tiny little hairs move in a fluid. These hairs convert the movement to auditory signals, which are then transmitted to the brain to register the sound.
Diagnostic Audiological Hearing Testing
Industrial Hearing Assessment
Pediatric Testing
Causes of Hearing Loss
Hearing loss occurs when sound is blocked in any of the three areas of the ear. The most common cause of hearing loss and one of the most preventable is exposure to loud noises. Infections, both of the ear or elsewhere in the body, are also a major contributor to hearing loss.
In the Outer Ear
In the Middle Ear
In the Inner Ear
Other Causes of Hearing Loss
Presbycusis: Age-related hearing loss, such as having difficulty hearing in noisy places, having trouble understanding what people are saying or not registering softer sounds.
Heredity and Genetic Causes: There is a wide variety of diseases and syndromes that are either genetic or hereditary that can cause hearing loss. Some, like rubella (German measles) occur when a pregnant mother has the disease, which causes hearing loss in the baby. Other, rarer types of hereditary and genetic causes include CHARGE Syndrome, Connexin 26 disorder, Goldenhar Syndrome,Treacher Collins Syndrome, Usher Syndrome, Waardenburg Syndrome and otosclerosis (growth of spongy bone tissue in the middle ear).
Most causes of outer ear hearing loss can be remedied. But problems of the middle and inner ear can lead to permanent hearing loss, which is why it is important to seek medical attention quickly if you are experiencing a problem hearing.
Hearing Loss Treatment
Hearing loss is measured in four degrees: mild, moderate, severe or profound. The degree of hearing loss drives the selection of the best form of treatment on a case-by-case basis.
The location, type and degree of hearing loss impact the choice of treatments for any hearing problem. The most common treatment options include:
- Antibiotics, decongestants and pain medication to overcome ear infections.
- Myringotomy, a piercing of the eardrum to allow for fluids to drain out of the outer ear.
- Hearing aids.
- Surgery to remove benign or malignant tumors or correct bone- or nerve-related problems.
If you experience sudden or prolonged hearing loss with dizziness, fever or pain, please contact our office right away and schedule an appointment with one of our otolaryngologists. We’ll conduct a physical examination as well as a hearing test to determine the type and severity of your hearing loss. We’ll then recommend the best treatment.
Types of Hearing Loss
Conductive Hearing Loss
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Mixed Hearing Loss
Mixed hearing loss refers to people who have both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. Some people experience more than one type of hearing loss.
Central Hearing Loss
Get in Touch
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(434) 200-8753
2319 Atherholt Road Lynchburg, VA 24501