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How do we Hear?
The ear is made up of 3 parts; the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner Ear.
Sound is picked up by the outer ear (the pinna) and sent down the ear canal to the eardrum.
Each part has a special function so we can hear. As sound is sent down the canal to the
eardrum sound vibrations cause the eardrum to rock back and forth. Three tiny bones in the
middle ear send the sound vibrations the inner ear which contains over 30,000 tiny hair
cells. Vibrations from the middle ear cause these hair cells to move and send the a signal
to the brain which is interpreted as sound.
What is Hearing Loss?
There are two types of hearing loss; conductive and sensorineural. A conductive
hearing loss is caused when sound is blocked in the outer or middle ear.
Some causes of this are:
excessive earwax
damaged eardrum
ear infection or fluid in the middle ear
stiffness in the bones of the middle ear (otosclerosis)
Most often a conductive hearing loss can be medically treated with high success and hearing
aids are offen very helpful in situation where the condition cannot be treated medically.
A sensorineural hearing loss is where the hair cells in the inner ear or hearing
nerve is damaged and cannot send complete signals to the brain.
Some causes are:
Aging
Noise Exposure
Hereditary factors
This type of hearing loss cannot be corrected with medicine or surgery and hearing aids can be very helpful.
Effects of hearing loss
Some signs of hearing loss are:
People around you seem to mumble
You often ask others to repeat themselves
You can hear but cannot understand
Difficulty following conversations in background noise or when in groups
Children and women's voices are difficult to hear
Need to turn up the TV or radio louder
Cannot hear high pitched sounds such as birds, crickets and bells
Untreated hearing loss can cause embarrassment, social stress, tension and fatigue.
It can cause sadness and depression, worry and anxiety, paranoia, less social activity
and emotional turmoil and insecurity.
Only 40% of people that have a significant hearing loss seek treatment (Hearing Impairment
in an Australian Population, 1998 Centre for Population Studies)
However, the majority of hearing aid wearers reported significantly improved quality
of life including improvements in: personal relationships, self-esteem and overall health.
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