Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of all hearing losses. It is the hearing loss which is due to nerve damage or reduced sensitivity of the sensory and the neural parts of the human ear.
There are 9 signs of sensorineural hearing loss. They are:
- difficulty following conversations
- can not understand speech in a noisy environment
- others seem to be mumbling
- request others to repeat themselves
- increase the volume of the TV
- difficulty speaking over the phone
- need to look at the speaker (lipread) to follow the conversation
- exhausted after a lengthy conversation
- avoiding social functions
The 7 main causes of sensorineural hearing loss are:
- the aging process
- exposure to loud sounds
- physical injury of the inner ear by a head trauma
- infections and diseases like Meniere’s disease, mumps, measles or high fever.
- family history of hearing loss (genetic contribution)
- malformation of the inner ear
- ototoxicity due to certain medicines like some cancer treatments
There are no medicines or surgical procedures to cure sensorineural Hearing Loss. In fact, hearing aids are the most common remedy for sensorineural hearing loss. Thus, if you or a loved one suspects a sensorineural hearing loss, one should not wait and you should get your hearing tested. We at the Hearing Institute of Ontario believe that everyone over the age of 50 should get their hearing tested to ensure that we are living our best life possible.
