2. Hearing loss and deafness
■ 'Hard of hearing' refers to people with
hearing loss ranging from mild to
severe. People who are hard of hearing
usually communicate through spoken
language and can benefit from
hearing,aids, cochlear implants, and
other assistive devices as well as
captioning.
3. Causes
■ Aging and chronic exposure to loud
noises both contribute to hearing loss.
Other factors, such as excessive
earwax, can temporarily reduce how
well your ears conduct sounds. You
can't reverse most types of hearing loss.
However, you and your doctor or a
hearing specialist can take steps to
improve what you hear
4. Signs of hearing loss
■ difficulty hearing other people clearly and
misunderstanding what they say, especially in
noisy places.
■ asking people to repeat themselves.
■ listening to music or watching TV with the
volume
■ higher than other people need.
■ difficulty hearing on the phone.
■ finding it hard to keep up with a conversation.
5. Levels of deafness
mild (21–40 dB)
moderate (41–70 dB )
profound (95 dB )
severe (71–95 dB)
Can deafness cured?
For age-related hearing loss, there is no cure, but
hearing aids and other listening devices help
treat the problem and improve quality of life.
6.
7. Nerve deafness
■ Sensorineural deafness is a type of
hearing loss. It occurs from damage to
the inner ear, the place of origin of the
nerve that runs from the ear to the
brain (auditory nerve), or the brain.
The ear consists of external, middle,
and inner structures.
