What is the Best Treatment for Hearing Loss?
The best treatment for hearing loss will vary from person to person, based on the level of hearing loss they are experiencing and cause of the issue. An individual’s needs are also taken into consideration.
Issues could range from something as simple as ear wax removal to complicated surgery. With so many to cover, let’s get started with the easier solutions.
Quick Solutions
In some cases, hearing loss is due to an underlying cause which can be solved without the need for lifelong hearing devices that we’ll talk about in the Long-Term Solutions section below.
Whether they require a quick appointment at your local audiology clinic or surgery, they can still be worrying and seem like a much larger issue.
Earwax Removal
Ear wax can build up further into the ear canal which can compact and block some or all of the sounds that you would usually hear.
This can happen without us knowing for a variety of reasons, but most cases can be solved at home with over-the-counter ear drops.
There may be times when the wax has been left for a long time and the ear drops aren’t strong enough to dissolve it all. In these circumstances, a quick microsuction appointment will remove everything that the ear drops left behind.
Infection Treatment
An inflamed ear canal with an infection can block most, or all, sounds and require a visit to your doctor. They will then prescribe a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection, and your hearing should return to normal.
Minor Surgery
Issues with the ear drum or tiny bones of the inner ear can be repaired through surgery. They need to be fully functional to send signals to the brain about any sounds that can be heard. If they haven’t formed correctly from birth or have been damaged, then an operation will be necessary to regain normal hearing.
Long-Term Solutions
In cases where none of the quick solutions above will resolve the issue, more long-term measures will be needed.
Hearing Aids
The most common solution for hearing loss is to use a hearing aid in one or both ears to amplify sounds, increasing the volume of everything around you.
Further into the ear, past the ear drum, the tiny ‘hairs’ of the cochlea will then find it easier to convert the sounds into a signal to the brain. This then gives you the sensation of having heard the noise.
A mould is taken of your ear to provide hearing aids with a custom fit. This ensures they are comfortable and don’t fall out. More information can be found on our hearing aids page.
Middle Ear Implants (MEI)
For more severe hearing loss, an MEI may be necessary which is surgically inserted into the inner ear to help sounds turn into signals for the brain, as mentioned in the Hearing Aids section above.
An external device attaches to the ear like a hearing aid and also to the head behind the ear, which sends audio waves to a device surgically implanted in the inner ear.
Cochlear Implants
If the middle ear is damaged or not functioning as intended, a cochlear implant may be needed instead of the MEI above.
Just like an MEI, the external part looks the same, but inside, the middle ear is bypassed and a device is inserted further in to stimulate the cochlear instead.
Auditory Brainstem Implants (ABI)
Similar to how a cochlear implant works, an outer sensor will send signals to a device further in. The difference is that this inner ear device is planted further still, attached to the brainstem, bypassing the cochlea entirely.
This procedure is used for adults who have damaged cochleas and children who were born without a functioning one.
This won’t restore hearing in the way that others will in the list above, but will instead give the sensation of sound waves for those unable to hear anything at all.
Conclusion
If you have read everything above, then you will realise that the best treatment for hearing loss really depends on the person and type of issue they are experiencing.
If you would like to talk to a professional about hearing loss in more detail, book online today and get your life back to normal.
