In How Our Ears Work we looked at the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear and how everything is geared to getting sounds to the inner ear so it can send the messages to the brain. A hearing loss occurs most often when something stops the sound getting through to the brain.
There are lots of different causes of hearing loss, and the underlying cause often determines what can be done about it.
- Some hearing losses are temporary (e.g. wax blockage, congestion)
- Some can be be cured by medical intervention (e.g. glue ear, otosclerosis)
- Some can be prevented with the right education (e.g. noise damage, ototoxic drugs)
- Some hearing losses are permanent (e.g. age-related hearing loss, noise damage, genetic)
As we look at some causes of hearing loss, we’ll work our way from the outer ear to the inner ear. We’ll also mention which hearing losses are usually temporary and which are often permanent.
Our whirlwind tour is by no means exhaustive; it's really just an introduction to some of the causes behind hearing loss.