Severe Hearing Loss

Severe Hearing Loss

Severe hearing loss is a significant reduction in hearing ability that substantially impacts daily communication and quality of life. With severe hearing loss, conversation becomes difficult even with hearing aids, and sounds must be very loud to be heard at all. This condition can result from various causes, including genetics, aging, exposure to loud noises, certain medications, or illness. Severe hearing loss may be congenital (present at birth) or acquired later in life, and it can be categorized as sensorineural (affecting the inner ear or auditory nerve), conductive (affecting the outer or middle ear), or mixed (a combination of both).

Treatable Condition
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CausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentHome CarePreventionSurgery

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What Causes It?

Aging (presbycusis) - Gradual hearing loss that occurs as people get older, often due to changes in the inner ear structures.

Noise exposure - Prolonged exposure to loud sounds can damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear that transmit sound to the brain.

Genetic factors - Some forms of hearing loss are inherited and may be present at birth or develop later in life.

Infections - Certain infections like meningitis, measles, mumps, or chronic ear infections can damage hearing structures.

Ototoxic medications - Some antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and high doses of aspirin can damage the inner ear.

Illness or high fever - Conditions that cause high fever, such as meningitis, can damage the cochlea.

Head trauma - Injury to the head can damage the ear structures or the auditory pathways in the brain.

Meniere's disease - An inner ear disorder that can cause fluctuating hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus.

Autoimmune inner ear disease - The body's immune system attacks the inner ear, causing progressive hearing loss.

Acoustic neuroma - A noncancerous tumor on the vestibular nerve that can cause hearing loss as it grows.

Malformations of the ear - Structural abnormalities of the outer, middle, or inner ear present at birth.

Otosclerosis - Abnormal bone growth in the middle ear that prevents proper functioning of the stapes bone.

Signs & Symptoms

Difficulty understanding speech, even when sounds are loud enough to hear.

Asking people to repeat themselves frequently or saying "what?" often.

Difficulty hearing in noisy environments or group settings.

Trouble hearing high-pitched sounds like birds chirping or children's voices.

Turning up the volume on televisions, phones, or other devices to levels that others find too loud.

Feeling that others are mumbling or not speaking clearly.

Difficulty hearing on the telephone.

Withdrawing from conversations and social situations due to hearing difficulties.

Tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, or other sounds in the ears).

Difficulty locating where sounds are coming from.

Experiencing speech and language delays in children with congenital hearing loss.

How We Diagnose

Our specialists use advanced diagnostic methods to accurately identify and assess your condition

Pure Tone Audiometry

This fundamental hearing test measures the softest sounds a person can hear at different frequencies (pitches). The results are plotted on an audiogram, which helps determine the degree and type of hearing loss. Severe hearing loss is typically defined as a hearing threshold between 71-90 decibels.

Speech Recognition Testing

This evaluates how well a person can understand speech at different volume levels, providing information about speech discrimination abilities which is crucial for treatment planning.

Tympanometry

A test that measures how well the eardrum moves, helping to identify middle ear problems that could cause conductive hearing loss, such as fluid buildup or eardrum perforation.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)

This test measures sound echoes produced by the inner ear in response to sound stimuli, helping to determine inner ear (cochlear) function and is especially useful in testing infants and young children.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

This test evaluates how sound travels along the auditory nerve from the ear to the brain, helping diagnose sensorineural hearing loss and identify disorders of the auditory nerve or brain pathways.

Imaging Studies

CT scans or MRI may be ordered to visualize the structures of the ear and auditory nerve, particularly if structural abnormalities or tumors are suspected.

Treatment Options

Personalized treatment plans tailored to your specific needs and condition

1

Hearing Aids

Advanced digital hearing aids can be programmed to amplify specific frequencies based on an individual's hearing loss pattern. For severe hearing loss, powerful behind-the-ear (BTE) or receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids with specialized features like directional microphones and noise reduction are often recommended.

2

Cochlear Implants

For those with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who receive limited benefit from hearing aids, cochlear implants may be an option. These electronic devices bypass damaged parts of the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve, providing sound signals to the brain.

3

Assistive Listening Devices

Various technologies can help enhance communication and accessibility, including FM systems, amplified telephones, captioning services, alerting devices (for doorbells, alarms, etc.), and smartphone apps designed for people with hearing loss.

4

Auditory Rehabilitation

Specialized therapy programs can help individuals adapt to hearing aids or cochlear implants, develop listening skills, and learn strategies to improve communication effectiveness in various environments.

Home Remedies

Communication Strategies

Position yourself to see the speaker's face clearly, reduce background noise when possible, ask for clarification when needed, and inform others about your hearing needs. These strategies can significantly improve your ability to understand conversations.

Visual Aids

Supplement auditory information with visual cues by using captioning on television, requesting written notes in meetings, and learning basic lip-reading skills or sign language if appropriate.

Environment Modification

Reduce background noise in your home by using carpeting, curtains, and furniture that absorb sound. Arrange seating to optimize hearing and visual cues, and choose quieter restaurants and meeting places when possible.

Assistive Apps

Utilize smartphone applications designed for people with hearing loss, such as those that transcribe speech to text in real-time, amplify certain sounds, or provide visual or vibrating alerts for important sounds.

Hearing Aid Maintenance

If you use hearing aids, establish a regular cleaning and maintenance routine to ensure optimal performance. Replace batteries as needed, and store devices in a dry, safe place when not in use.

Prevention Tips

Protect your ears from loud noises by wearing earplugs or earmuffs in noisy environments and keeping volume levels moderate when using headphones.

Follow the 60/60 rule when using headphones: listen at no more than 60% of maximum volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time.

Take regular breaks from prolonged exposure to noise, even at moderate levels.

If you take medications known to be potentially ototoxic, discuss monitoring of your hearing with your healthcare provider.

Manage conditions that can impact hearing, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, through regular medical care and healthy lifestyle choices.

Get prompt treatment for ear infections to prevent complications that could affect hearing.

Consider genetic counseling if you have a family history of hereditary hearing loss.

Schedule regular hearing check-ups, especially if you work in a noisy environment, have a family history of hearing loss, or are over 50 years old.

Avoid inserting objects into your ears, including cotton swabs, which can damage the ear canal or eardrum.

Consider vaccination against illnesses that can cause hearing loss, such as measles, mumps, rubella, and meningitis.

Surgical Solutions

Advanced surgical procedures performed by our expert specialists

Cochlear Implantation

A surgical procedure that places an electronic device with internal and external components to bypass damaged portions of the inner ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound, cochlear implants convert sound into electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound. This option is typically considered for those with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who receive limited benefit from hearing aids.

Bone-Anchored Hearing Systems

A surgical option for conductive or mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness. A small titanium implant is placed in the bone behind the ear, which then conducts sound vibrations directly to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear. This can be an effective solution when traditional hearing aids aren't suitable.

Stapedectomy

A surgical procedure to treat otosclerosis, a condition where abnormal bone growth in the middle ear prevents the stapes bone from vibrating properly. The surgeon removes all or part of the stapes bone and replaces it with a prosthesis that transmits sound vibrations to the inner ear.

Tympanoplasty

A surgical procedure to repair a perforated eardrum or reconstruct the middle ear bones (ossicles). This can improve conductive hearing loss caused by physical damage to these structures from trauma, infection, or other causes.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

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