What Causes Hearing Loss?
Most often, hearing loss is caused by regular exposure to unsafe noise levels. Over time, damage to our inner ear cells inhibits our ability to hear certain frequencies. There are a number of other potential causes of loss as well. Genetics, ototoxic medications, injury to the head, autoimmune disease, ear infections and Meniere’s disease are just a few of the other causes.
What Are the Effects of Hearing Loss?
Loss of hearing has the ability to affect your emotional, mental and physical well-being. When left untreated, it can lead to depression, anxiety, social isolation and cognitive decline.
What Are the Types of Hearing Loss?
There are three forms of hearing loss—conductive, sensorineural and mixed. Conductive loss generally occurs when something is preventing the sound from moving through the ear canal and can generally be treated. Sensorineural loss occurs due to damage to the auditory system and is irreversible. Mixed loss describes a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
How Do I Treat It?
If you suspect you may have some degree of loss of hearing, you’ll want to take the following steps when pursuing treatment:
- Schedule a consultation with an audiologist.
- Bring a companion to your consultation.
- Have your audiologist perform a hearing evaluation and diagnose your condition.
- Discuss hearing loss treatment
- If your hearing aids are required to treat your loss, schedule a fitting with your audiologist to try different devices.
How Do I Pick a Hearing Aid?
Work with your audiologist to find the listening device that will work best for you. Your hearing loss specialist will provide hearing device options based on your lifestyle and type of loss. Finding the perfect hearing aid can be a process of trial and error, so remember to be patient and open-minded.
To schedule a consultation with a premier Portland audiologist, call our team today at (503) 222-3638!
