About Hearing Loss

What is Hearing Loss?

Hearing loss is a common problem that can happen to anybody and it often comes gradually with age or is caused by repeated exposure to loud noises. If you have hearing loss, you are not alone. 1 in 4 people suffer from hearing loss. At Beltone, we believe in helping the world hear better. Our goal is to help customers and patients track their hearing.

What are the types of hearing loss?

Conductive hearing loss

A conductive hearing loss is often temporary and can sometimes be corrected with wax removal, medication or surgery. Conductive loss stems from problems in the outer or middle ear and can be caused by:

Infection
Build-up of wax or fluid
Punctured eardrum
Otosclerosis- an abnormal bone development in the middle ear

Sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. In fact, it accounts for 90% of all adult hearing problems. Although the cause is not always known, it is often related to aging and a history of noise exposure. With sensorineural loss:

There are problems with the cochlea and the auditory nerve
Sounds not only diminish in volume, but become distorted
The ability to hear high-pitched sounds is usually affected first.
The ability to hear low-pitched sounds, such as vowel sounds, may be normal or relatively well-preserved

Temporary hearing loss

There are times where a hearing loss is temporary. A temporary hearing loss is common and can be caused by any of the following:

Excessive earwax
Ear infections
Allergies
Sinus problems
Certain medications

Mixed hearing loss

With mixed hearing loss, both conductive and sensorineural losses occur at the same time.

In these cases, you may need treatment such as wax removal, medication, or surgery in addition to hearing aids.

Tinnitus

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the name for the perception of sounds, such as ringing in your ears, buzzing or hissing, when these sounds are not present in the environment. Although the tinnitus sounds can be perceived as quite loud, objective measurements show that they are often fainter than the sound of a leaf falling to the ground.

How common is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is essentially heard by most people at some point in their lives, even those with normal hearing. There are many causes for tinnitus: it can be a by-product of loud noise exposure, such as a rock concert or a night out at a club, disappearing after a few hours or the morning after. It can also happen spontaneously without any reason, and then disappear as suddenly as it began. Many professionals believe this is just a function of the normal hearing system.

Understanding your tinnitus

If you have tinnitus, you are not alone. Between 10-15 percent of the population suffer from some degree of tinnitus, with more than half affected in both ears. 1 in 5 people in United States experience tinnitus and nearly 12 million people a year seek medical advice.

Beltone Tinnitus Calmer App

Distract your brain from focusing on your tinnitus with the help of Beltone's Tinnitus Calmer app. Available on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices, the app offers a combination of Sound Therapy and relaxing exercises which can help provide relief from tinnitus.