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Sensorineural hearing loss

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What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common of the three main types of hearing loss (with the other two being conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss).

This type of hearing loss is due to damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear or the auditory nerve (responsible for transmitting sound to the brain). It is most often caused by the natural aging process or exposure to loud sounds1.

Hearing loss types

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Sensorineural hearing loss causes

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs due to damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. This can happen due to several causes, including:

  • Aging - Age-related hearing loss, which is also called Presbycusis, is the most common form of sensorineural hearing loss
  • Exposure to loud sounds, such as a one-time explosion or continuous exposure to loud sounds over time
  • Certain drugs and medications
  • Genetics or complications during birth and pregnancy

What is sudden sensorineural hearing loss?

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) - known as sudden deafness - involves an unexplained rapid loss of hearing all at once or over a couple of days. It is almost always experienced in one ear only.

In some cases, sudden onset sensorineural hearing loss can be reversed by medical treatment. If you experience sudden hearing loss, contact your doctor immediately for urgent medical advice.

Common Sensorineural hearing loss symptoms

It can be difficult to identify the signs and symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss. To help you in the process, below are 6 common symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss:

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1. Difficulty following group conversations (especially when background noise is present)
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2. Trouble understanding speech in noisy surroundings (e.g. restaurants)
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3. Difficulty understanding phone conversations
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4. Sounds seem unclear or people sound like they are mumbling
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5. Difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds
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6. Ringing or buzzing in the ears (called tinnitus)
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Sensorineural hearing loss treatment

Sensorineural hearing loss can most often be treated with hearing aids. There are a wide variety of hearing aids available, with plenty of options to suit your needs and preferences. More severe sensorineural losses may benefit from medically implantable devices.

We recommend that you receive treatment as early as possible since sensorineural hearing loss can have unwanted side effects, such as isolation and poor self-esteem.

 

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Prevent hearing loss before it impacts you or a loved one

Even if you don't currently have symptoms of hearing loss, you can still be proactive in trying to prevent it. Using hearing protection, such as ear plugs, molds or earmuffs, may reduce the risk of hearing loss. Wearing this protective gear will help to protect your ears from especially loud sounds, such as :

  • Garden tools like lawn mowers and leaf blowers
  • Woodworking machinery
  • Loud appliances
  • Work-related exposure, including factories and construction sites
  • Music

Excessively loud everyday sounds, both at home and at work, can pose a risk to your hearing health, so it's a good idea to invest in hearing protection if you expect to be exposed to loud noise. Avoiding loud sounds and reducing exposure can be beneficial for your long-term hearing health.

Hearing loss

Oticon hearing aid models

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Oticon Intent™
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24D Sensor technology only available in Oticon Intent 1 & 2.
3Up to 20 hours of use on a fully charged battery. Expected use time for rechargeable battery depends on use pattern, active feature set, hearing loss, sound environment, battery age and use of wireless accessories.

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Oticon Real™

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Oticon Own

Introducing the latest technology in custom hearing aids

Why choose Oticon Own? 

  • A customised fit
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Oticon Jet

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Oticon Jet gives you nine styles to select from, so you can find just the one for you. And with five different colours, you can choose the one that best matches the colour of your hair or skin:

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Oticon Xceed

The hearing aid that opens up your world for people with severe to profound hearing loss

The unique technology in Xceed supports you in these situations by giving you more access to speech than ever before. Oticon Xceed is proven to give you better speech clarity with less listening effort in noisy environments, compared to Oticon's previous generations of powerful hearing aids1.

1 Ng 2019, Oticon whitepaper, sponsored by Oticon.

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Nimi Daya Naran - Audiologist and Head of Medical Services & Graduate Development ANZ
 BA(Psych), M.Clin.Aud., MAudSA(CCP)

Nimi is an experienced Audiologist whose clinical career and dedication to the Audiology industry has afforded her many opportunities, where she has had the ability to specialise in paediatrics, adult rehabilitation, complex adult rehabilitation and tinnitus. Through these specialities she recognised her passion for clinical excellence and educating others. 

Today, she draws on that experience in her work as the Head of Medical Services and Graduate Development. Her current role allows her to raise hearing health awareness amongst general practitioners. As well as contribute to the development of clinicians in their early career, to ensure they have a strong clinical foundation as they begin their journey in the Audiology industry. She has also developed initiatives to improve clinical service delivery and client care. More recently she has established the Audika Specialist Referral Network, an initiative to ensure clients who could benefit from implantable technology are given access to these services. As well as ensuring these clients are supported throughout their implant journey.  

Sensorineural hearing loss FAQ’s

1Depression and Individuals with Hearing Loss - A Systematic Review 

Relevant links

Age related hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss
Conductive hearing loss
Hearing loss in one ear
High-frequency hearing loss
Low-frequency hearing loss
Bilateral hearing loss
Ringing in ears
Hearing loss and dementia
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