Hearing and
Hearing Loss
Hearing loss should always be diagnosed by a professional, such as an audiologist or an ENT specialist. The professional will test hearing in order to determine the type and severity. An audiogram, which illustrates the findings, is then prepared.
There are four types of hearing loss:
The first and most common type is sensorineural hearing loss which results from missing or damaged sensory cells (hair cells) in the cochlea. Conductive hearing loss describes any problem in the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from being conducted properly to the inner ear. Mixed hearing loss is a combined loss of both sensorineural and conductive hearing. Finally, neural hearing loss occurs when the auditory nerve cannot send signals to the brain.