Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects people of all ages and can be caused by many different factors. The three basic categories of hearing loss are sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss. Here is what patients should know about each type.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss occurs when the inner ear or the actual hearing nerve itself becomes damaged. This loss generally occurs when some of the hair cells within the cochlea are damaged.

Sensorineural loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It can be a result of aging, exposure to loud noise, injury, disease, certain drugs or an inherited condition. This type of hearing loss is typically not medically or surgically treatable; however, many people with this type of loss find that hearing aids can be beneficial.

Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss may occur very suddenly or over the course of a few days. It is imperative to see an otologist (a doctor specializing in diseases of the ear) immediately. A delay in treating this condition (two or more weeks after the symptoms first begin) will decrease the chance that medications might help improve the problem.

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Hearing Loss: Why Choose Salimon Joseph's?

Salimon Joseph have extensive experience in Diagnostic Audiology and Rehabilitation Audiology including fitting all major international Hearing Aids to his clients. Salimon Joseph travelled to many Aboriginal communities in Northern Territory since 2016 to 2023 when he was working as a Senior Audiologist with a Federally funded program called, Hearing Services Outreach.

Hearing Services Outreach Program senior audiologist Salimon Joseph loves helping Indigenous Territorians in remote communities. “I find it a privilege to work for with the oldest continuous civilisation on earth, the first nation people of Australia.

Through improving their hearing health as an Audiologist, we are contributing to preserve hundreds of ancient indigenous languages which are only passed on to the next generation through oral stories,” Mr Joseph said.

Conductive Hearing Loss

This type of hearing loss occurs in the outer or middle ear where sound waves are not able to carry all the way through to the inner ear. Sound may be blocked by earwax or a foreign object located in the ear canal; the middle ear space may be impacted with fluid, infection or a bone abnormality; or the eardrum may have been injured.

In some people, conductive hearing loss may be reversed through medical or surgical intervention. Conductive hearing loss is most common in children who may have recurrent ear infections or who insert foreign objects into their ear canal.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Sometimes people can have a combination of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. They may have a sensorineural hearing loss and then develop a conductive component in addition.

Hearing testing is critical for discovering exactly what type of hearing loss you have, and will help determine the hearing care solution that is right for you. Hearing aids are available in many sizes, styles and technologies; there are also many alternatives to hearing aids.

Hearing Loss in Adults

People over age 50 may experience gradual hearing loss over the years due to age-related changes in the ear or auditory nerve. The medical term for age-related hearing loss is presbycusis. Having presbycusis may make it hard for a person to tolerate loud sounds or to hear what others are saying.

Other causes of hearing loss in adults include: