Types of Hearing Loss, conductive hearing loss, sensory-neural hearing loss

Hearing loss can be divided into two basic types, called conductive and sensorineural or a
combination of the two known as a mixed loss.

Conductive hearing loss is caused by anything that interferes with the transmission of sound
from the outer to the inner ear. Examples of conductive hearing losses are:- compacted wax,
perforation of the eardrum, glue ear, dislocation or fusion of the bones in the middle ear.
Conductive hearing losses are often treatable but if not, this type of loss responds well to
hearing aid amplification.

Sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage to the hair cells in the inner ear and/or to the
auditory pathway to the brain. The most common cause of a sensorineural hearing loss is
age-related (presbyacusis) - the decline in hearing that many people experience as they get
older due to hair cell fatigue. Other causes of sensorineural hearing loss include:- noise induced
hearing loss (NIHL), Meneire's Disease, viral infections, congenital, acoustic neuroma and
vascular epsiodes. Sensorineural hearing losses often have other symptons including tinnitus,
intolerance to loud sounds and distortion - sophisticated digital technology can help overcome
many of these complications.