What is Hearing Loss?
 

Hearing loss occurs when at least one part of the hearing system is not working properly. There are three sections of the ear before the hearing nerve. The outer ear, including the visible part on the side of the head and the ear canal, collects sound, amplifies it, and channels it toward the eardrum. The middle ear contains the three ossicles, or middle ear bones, the tiniest bones in the body, which convert sound into mechanical energy. The inner ear consists of the cochlea, a snail shell-shaped device which changes the incoming energy into electrical impulses for the hearing nerve. Incidentally, the inner ear also houses the semi-circular canals, which help you maintain your balance. A problem with hearing can occur along any part of this pathway. Issues of the outer and middle ear, called conductive hearing loss, tend to be temporary or medically correctable. These can include wax build-up, outer ear infections, middle ear fluid and infections, and disruption of the middle ear bones. Disturbances in the inner ear are almost always permanent. Inner ear hearing loss, also known as sensorineural hearing loss, can even be progressive. Some causes of sensorineural hearing loss include, for example, excessive noise or music exposure, changes in blood flow related to vascular disease, ototoxicity from certain medicines, head injury, and hereditary conditions.