You might think there’s only one type of hearing loss – you’d be wrong! There are actually several types, each requiring different forms of treatment.

When you come for an appointment at Audicles, your doctor will conduct a hearing evaluation to diagnose your specific condition.

Among our patients, two are the most common: conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss

Put simply; this occurs when something in the outer or middle part of your ear blocks sound transmitting to the inner part of your ear.

In some cases, this could just be due to a build-up of wax or a foreign object that’s become lodged in your ear canal.

But in others, it results from a medical condition – swelling of the ear, an ear infection, fluid behind the eardrum, or a hole in the eardrum.

Audicles refers to the majority of people with a conductive hearing loss to ear, nose, and throat physicians, who perform detailed evaluations and treat patients using surgical procedures.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Most of the patients that our doctors diagnose have sensorineural hearing loss, which results from permanent damage to a person’s inner ear or auditory nerve.

Those with this condition can’t be treated with medicines or surgery, like with conductive hearing loss, but require hearing aids.

Hearing aids are an effective treatment because they amplify sounds that transmit to the inner part of your ear, allowing wearers to hear clearly.

Audicles also refer those with a severe to profound hearing loss to surgeons who perform cochlear implant surgeries.

Auditory neuropathy hearing loss

This is a rare condition. It occurs when auditory nerves, carrying sound information to your brain, don’t work perfectly.

While individuals with this condition will sometimes hear sounds as normal, they’ll suffer from a mild to severe hearing loss at others.

Our doctors at Audicles treat auditory neuropathy hearing loss in a variety of different ways, including with the use of hearing aids.

Auditory processing disorder

This is another far less common form of hearing loss that affects how people process sounds in different environments.

For example, someone with auditory processing disorder may only struggle to hear in noisy spaces. Children with this condition might also find they can’t hear sounds in classrooms.

As this is often complex, Audicles makes referrals to highly-trained specialists when doctors diagnose patients with it.

What should I do next?

If you suspect you have a hearing loss, regardless of the specific condition, the best thing to do is to contact Audicles and book an evaluation.

Our doctors will be able to offer expert diagnoses and provide professional advice on the best course of treatment going forward.

The majority of people can be treated effectively with medical procedures or hearing aids. Why not contact us today to arrange a callback and see how we can change your life for the better?