Overview
Hearing loss is a partial or complete reduction in the ability to hear. It may affect hearing softly spoken words, understanding speech in noise, or noticing high- or low-pitched sounds. Hearing loss can be temporary or long-lasting, depending on the cause.
Key Symptoms
Common signs include muffled hearing, asking people to repeat themselves, turning up the volume more than usual, and trouble following conversations, especially in noisy places. Some people also notice ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, or a feeling of fullness in the ear. In children, signs may include delayed speech or not responding to sounds.
Causes and Risk Factors
Hearing loss can be caused by aging, repeated exposure to loud sounds, ear infections, earwax buildup, injury, certain medicines, and conditions that affect the inner ear or hearing nerve. Risk can be higher for people who work in noisy settings, use loud personal audio devices, or have a family history of hearing problems. Sudden hearing loss needs prompt medical evaluation because it can have serious underlying causes.
Who Is Affected
Hearing loss can affect people of all ages, from newborns to older adults. It becomes more common with increasing age, but young people can also be affected by noise exposure, infections, trauma, or inherited conditions. People with repeated ear disease or long-term exposure to loud noise may have higher risk.
Prevention
You can lower the risk of some types of hearing loss by protecting your ears from loud noise, limiting volume and listening time with headphones, and using hearing protection in noisy places. Avoid putting objects into the ear canal, as this can injure the ear or push wax deeper. Prompt care for ear infections and regular hearing checks for people at risk may also help.
Diagnosis and Tests
A healthcare professional may ask about symptoms, noise exposure, medicines, and past ear problems, and examine the ears. Hearing tests can measure how well you hear different tones and speech. Depending on the situation, further assessment may be needed to look for infection, blockage, balance problems, or conditions affecting the inner ear or hearing nerve.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on the cause. Options may include removal of earwax by a trained professional, treatment of ear infections or other underlying conditions, hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and in some cases procedures or surgery. Communication support, hearing rehabilitation, and follow-up testing can also be important.
Living With It
Hearing loss can affect communication, work, school, relationships, and emotional well-being. Helpful steps may include facing people when they speak, reducing background noise, using captions, and telling others what makes communication easier. Ongoing support from hearing specialists, family, and community resources can make daily life easier.
When to Seek Medical Care
Seek medical care if you notice new hearing loss, hearing that is getting worse, ear pain, drainage, ringing in one ear, dizziness, or repeated ear infections. Children who do not respond to sounds or have speech delays should also be evaluated. Early assessment is important because some causes are treatable and some need urgent attention.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get urgent medical help for sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, especially if it happens over hours to a few days. Also seek urgent care after a head injury, very loud blast exposure, or if hearing loss comes with severe dizziness, weakness, facial drooping, severe headache, or other sudden neurologic symptoms.