Hearing loss treatment

Help is available for people with all types of hearing loss. Treatment depends on both the cause and severity of the deafness.

Sensorineural hearing loss is incurable. When the hair cells in the cochlea are damaged, they cannot be repaired. However, various treatments and strategies can help improve quality of life.

Various treatments of hearing loss

There are three types of hearing loss ensorineural hearing loss,
conductive hearing loss, and mixed hearing loss.

Hearing aids

These are wearable devices that assist hearing.

There are several types of hearing aid. They come in a range of sizes, circuitries, and levels of power. Hearing aids do not cure deafness but amplify the sound that enters the ear so that the listener can hear more clearly.

Hearing aids consist of a battery, loudspeaker, amplifier, and microphone. Today, they are very small, discreet, and can fit inside the ear. Many modern versions can distinguish background noise from foreground sounds, such as speech.

Cochlear implants

If the eardrum and middle ear are functioning correctly, a person may benefit from a cochlear implant.

This thin electrode is inserted into the cochlea. It stimulates electricity through a tiny microprocessor placed under the skin behind the ear.

A cochlear implant is inserted to help patients whose hearing impairment is caused by hair cell damage in the cochlea. The implants usually improve speech comprehension. The latest cochlear implants have new technology that helps patients enjoy music, understand speech better even with background noise, and use their processors while they are swimming.