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Types of Hearing Loss

 

 

 

  • Conductive hearing loss

  • Sensory neural hearing loss

  • Mixed hearing loss

 

Conductive Hearing Loss

 

Conductive hearing loss is caused by damage to the outer or middle ear, resulting

in sound waves being blocked from moving through the outer to the middle ear.

 

Causes can be middle ear infection, excessive wax and fluid in the middle ear,

damage to the middle ear bones, a perforation or a foreign body in the ear.

 

 

 

 

Sensori-neural Hearing Loss

 

 

This is caused by damage to the inner ear. The inner ear is unable to pick up the

vibrations from the outer ear and is unable to send the vibrations to hair cells in

the middle ear and then as electrical impulses to the brain.

 

This can be the result of aging, excessive noise, infection, certain drugs

and also birth defects.

 

 

 

 

Mixed Hearing Loss

 

 

This is caused by damage to the outer, middle- and the inner ear.

 

Typically, sound waves are not conducted efficiently to the inner ear, and once they

reach the inner ear the vibrations cannot be picked up or sent to the brain as

electrical impulses

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