HEALTH
5 Types of Treatment Available for Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is a common condition with wide-ranging causes, including age, exposure to loud noises, infection, medical conditions related to hearing loss, ototoxic medication, and genetic factors. There are also multiple treatments available for hearing loss. Their appropriateness for any individual depends on the extent of their hearing loss and their individual needs.
For expert hearing care, book an appointment with an audiology clinic. Audiology clinics provide hearing testing and can also assist with a treatment plan, such as fitting you with a hearing aid or with earwax removal.
These are five of the most common types of hearing loss treatment.
#1 Hearing Aids
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that amplifies sound. A small microphone within the device picks up sounds around you and amplifies those sounds for your ear. Hearing aids are commonly used when hair cells in the inner ear have been damaged, causing hearing loss.
Hearing aids can be programmed to amplify the frequencies that the wearer struggles to hear. Some hearing aids can also stream sounds from entertainment devices directly.
#2 Cochlear Implants
A cochlear implant may be used to treat hearing loss when a hearing aid is not enough. Cochlear implants do not amplify sounds the way that hearing aids do. Instead, cochlear implants bypass the inner ear and stimulate the auditory nerve directly. The implant generates signals that are sent via the nerve to the brain, which interprets the signals as sound.
The disadvantage of a cochlear implant is that hearing through one is not the same as normal hearing. People have to relearn how to hear with a cochlear implant.
#3 Bone Conduction Hearing Aids
Bone conduction hearing aids amplify sound through bone conduction, using vibrations at the base of the skull. There are both surgical and non-surgical versions of the device.
Individuals who may benefit from a bone conduction hearing aid may have a malformation in their ear canal, an infection, middle ear dysfunction or disease, single-sided deafness, Meniere’s Disease, or sudden hearing loss.
#4 Surgery
Types of hearing loss caused by infection or fluid buildup may be treated and reversed with surgery. Potential surgeries include the use of tympanostomy tubes that can drain fluid from the middle ear, or stapedectomy, which replaces the stapes bone to treat otosclerosis.
#5 Earwax Removal
A hearing test may reveal that the issue you’re experiencing is a buildup of earwax. Earwax is produced by the hair follicles found within your ear canal. That wax should make its way to the opening of your ear and either fall out or get washed out, but wax can build up and block your ear canal instead, muffling sounds and making hearing difficult. Other symptoms can include earaches, the feeling that your ear is plugged, and tinnitus (ringing in your ear).
Professional earwax removal is the safest way to treat this issue. An audiologist can use several methods to remove wax buildup. For easily-accessed wax buildup, they may use instrumentation, where forceps and curettes (small spoons) are used to extract the wax. They may also use irrigation, which flushes out the wax, or microsuction, which “vacuums” the wax out of the ear canal safely.
Talk to an audiologist about finding the best hearing loss treatment for you.
