Condition hub
Understanding Hearing Loss
A clear guide to the types and causes of hearing loss — sensorineural, conductive, mixed, age-related, noise-induced, and sudden — from Audiology Associates of Westchester.
Frame: Hearing loss condition hub
Read time: 6 min read
Byline: Audiology Associates of Westchester
Reviewed by: Reviewed by the Audiology Associates of Westchester clinical team
Hearing loss is not one condition — it is a family of them, and the right next step depends on which type you have. Some kinds are permanent but very manageable with hearing aids; others are a blockage that can be treated or even reversed; and one, sudden hearing loss, is a medical urgency. This guide explains the main types so you can recognize what you are noticing and know when to act.
The two main categories
“The right next step for hearing loss depends on its type — and identifying the type is what a hearing evaluation is for.”
Most hearing loss is either sensorineural (a permanent inner-ear or nerve loss, the most common type) or conductive (a blockage in the outer or middle ear that is often treatable). When both are present at once, it is called mixed hearing loss.
By cause
Whatever the type, the starting point is the same: a comprehensive hearing evaluation that measures what you can hear across pitches and how clearly you understand speech, along with an ear examination. Those findings identify the type and degree of loss and point to the right plan — treatment, a hearing aid fitting, medical referral, or monitoring.
When to move faster
Seek prompt medical care for sudden hearing loss, hearing loss in one ear, severe dizziness, drainage or bleeding, significant ear pain, facial weakness, or tinnitus that pulses with your heartbeat. Educational information cannot diagnose an individual ear.
A practical next step
