"Hearing loss is complicated and unique to each person.
Some people with hearing loss can hear only certain frequencies, while other people have no hearing at all. Others might only have hearing in one ear, or start with normal hearing that gets worse over time.

According to the World Health Organization, 466 million people in the world have hearing loss. That is nearly five percent of the population. And that number is expected to grow, as the World Health Organization estimates that by 2050 one in every 10 people will have hearing loss.

This calls for more people to begin protecting their hearing and being aware of signs of hearing loss.

 

What are signs of hearing loss?
How do you know if you have hearing loss? There are many symptoms that you may be able to notice throughout your daily life.

Children and women’s voices are hard to understand
High-frequency hearing loss is very common because it progresses with age. High frequencies are high pitched sounds, such as the voices of children and women. Other high pitch sounds include birds singing or the sound of the oven beeping.

You ask others to repeat themselves
If a conversation is hard to follow, especially in loud environments, this may be a sign of hearing loss. Background noise makes it very difficult to hear other voices when you have hearing loss. You may feel more inclined to withdraw from a conversation because it is too difficult to keep up.

You are turning up the volume on your electronics
If music, the TV or other electronics are hard to hear, you may be experiencing hearing loss.

You feel like your ears are clogged or filled
If you’ve been experiencing pain or an uncomfortable feeling in your ear, you may have a blockage from ear wax or fluid. It’s important to visit a doctor if you have any pain or unusual sensations with your ear.

 

Types of hearing loss
It’s important to know that there isn’t just one type of hearing loss. There are actually three types of hearing loss. The different types largely depend on if the issue lies in the outer, middle or inner ear.

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Conductive hearing loss
A conductive hearing loss occurs when sound cannot get through the outer and middle ear. This is often temporary hearing loss and may be fixed with medicine or surgery.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, causes of conductive hearing loss may include:

• Ear infection

• A poor Eustachian tube function

• Fluid in your middle ear

• A hole in the eardrum

• Earwax

• An object stuck in the ear

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Sensorineural hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs in the inner ear. This refers to issues in the inner ear, which leads to permanent hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss may be caused by:

• Genetics

• Illnesses

• Medicines

• Aging

• Head damage

• A problem with inner ear development

• Loud noise exposure

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Mixed hearing loss
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive hearing loss and sensorineural hearing loss. Someone may have both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in one ear, as the conditions affect different parts of the ear." Hearinglikeme

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