illness such as meningitis or untreated ear infections.medications such as some antibiotics, pain relief medication and diuretics (water pills).alcohol, nicotine, carbon monoxide or exposure to solvents.one of your parents having a genetic hearing impairment or being Deaf.exposure to excessive noise, which causing greater hearing loss than you would have from ageing.About a third of people aged 65 or more have a hearing loss that affects their daily lives the outer hair cells deteriorating as you age reducing hearing of high pitch sounds.abnormal growth of the hearing bones in your middle ear (otosclerosis).fluid behind your eardrum ( otitis media or glue ear).too much build-up of wax in your ear canal.What are the causes of hearing loss?Ĭonductive hearing loss can be caused by: This does not cause loss of loudness, but it can cause problems with understanding what you hear. Hearing loss can also be caused by a combination of these two types, and by auditory hearing loss. It’s distorted so that you find it hard to understand – a bit like listening to a language you don’t know. This type of hearing loss reduces clarity as well as loudness. The sensory hearing cells in your inner ear can be malformed or become damaged, leading to sensory hearing loss. This type of hearing loss leads to a loss of loudness – it’s like listening to someone speaking very softly or from a distance. This is where something gets in the way of sound being conveyed through your ear as described above. There are two main types of hearing loss in adults. What are the main types of hearing loss in adults? Your auditory nerve transfers sound information to various parts of your brain so you can process and make meaning of it. The inner hair cells transfer sound information to your auditory nerve. The outer of these cells boost soft sounds and dampen loud sounds. When the oval window vibrates, the membrane and sensory hearing cells move. It contains sensory hearing cells on a flexible membrane. This is the entry to your inner ear (the cochlea). The last of these bones are attached to an oval window with a thin tissue cover. Your eardrum is attached to 3 bones that act as a lever to enhance sounds while moving them through your middle ear. Sound waves are changed into mechanical vibrations at your eardrum. The outer part of your ear is designed to move sound in the air into your ear canal. Also, if you have some hearing loss, and your hearing doesn’t return to normal within two days, see your doctor. Immediate treatment may save your hearing which might otherwise be lost. If you have a sudden and severe loss of hearing, see your doctor urgently. Hearing loss is treated with hearing aids, or for severe or profound hearing loss, with cochlear implants.Half of all hearing loss, including noise-induced hearing loss, can be easily prevented or treated.Hearing loss can be caused by illness, accident, over-exposure to noise, some medications, misuse of drugs, trauma, genetics or simply getting older.Almost 1 in 6 New Zealanders have some hearing loss.Many hearing problems develop slowly over time and other people may notice your hearing loss before you do. Hearing loss (taringa turi) is common and can develop at any stage of your life, but most often happens as you get older.