Can surgery fix my hearing loss? For many people that suffer from hearing loss, one of the first questions they wonder is if surgery is a viable option to correct the problem. Sometimes it is, but most often it is not. It really depends on what type of hearing loss you have. If you have a typical sensorineural hearing loss “nerve loss,” there is no surgery that can be done to bring your hearing back. There is simply no way to “repair” the nerves that have been damaged and make them work again. The use of hearing aids is probably the only option at this point. If however, you have a conductive hearing loss, or a mixed hearing loss, there may be procedures which can help you regain some (or all) of your hearing.
The first step to determine whether or not your hearing can be treated via surgery is to have your hearing checked. During a hearing test your hearing provider will be able to tell you whether you have a sensorineural loss, conductive loss, or mixed loss. If you have a conductive loss, it is usually due to one of three reasons:
- One of the most common causes of conductive hearing loss is ear infections. If the reason for a conductive loss is an ear infection or fluid in the middle ear, the eardrum will typically be perforated by a physician to allow for drainage. During this time, the patient will have a conductive hearing loss, but when their condition is cured, the ear drum will be patched and normal hearing will return.
- Another common cause of conductive hearing loss is Otosclerosis, which is genetic in nature. With Otosclerosis, one of the tiny bones in the middle ear is fixated and cannot move, so sound cannot be effectively transmitted to the middle ear. A common procedure to fix Otosclerosis is a Stapedectomy, in which the Stapes bone is replaced with a prosthesis that can freely move in concert with the other bones of the middle ear and transmit sound vibrations.
- Finally, you can sometimes get a conductive hearing loss as a result of a very loud impact noise, for example an explosion very close to you. When this happens, the middle ear bones which are all interconnected and work together can get out of place, and the transmission of sound through your middle ear can get “jammed up” because these parts are no longer cooperating with each other like the should.
If you have a hearing loss, chances are your best solution (in terms of sound quality and cost effectiveness), is to wear hearing aids. Hearing aids today can be completely invisible, waterproof, and many of them will integrate with your smartphone and other devices to let you do some really cool things.
Courtesy of www.ziphearing.com/blog/can-surgery-fix-hearing-loss/#sthash.GoLKoLJG.dpuf
The first step to determine whether or not your hearing can be treated via surgery is to have your hearing checked. During a hearing test your hearing provider will be able to tell you whether you have a sensorineural loss, conductive loss, or mixed loss. If you have a conductive loss, it is usually due to one of three reasons:
- One of the most common causes of conductive hearing loss is ear infections. If the reason for a conductive loss is an ear infection or fluid in the middle ear, the eardrum will typically be perforated by a physician to allow for drainage. During this time, the patient will have a conductive hearing loss, but when their condition is cured, the ear drum will be patched and normal hearing will return.
- Another common cause of conductive hearing loss is Otosclerosis, which is genetic in nature. With Otosclerosis, one of the tiny bones in the middle ear is fixated and cannot move, so sound cannot be effectively transmitted to the middle ear. A common procedure to fix Otosclerosis is a Stapedectomy, in which the Stapes bone is replaced with a prosthesis that can freely move in concert with the other bones of the middle ear and transmit sound vibrations.
- Finally, you can sometimes get a conductive hearing loss as a result of a very loud impact noise, for example an explosion very close to you. When this happens, the middle ear bones which are all interconnected and work together can get out of place, and the transmission of sound through your middle ear can get “jammed up” because these parts are no longer cooperating with each other like the should.
If you have a hearing loss, chances are your best solution (in terms of sound quality and cost effectiveness), is to wear hearing aids. Hearing aids today can be completely invisible, waterproof, and many of them will integrate with your smartphone and other devices to let you do some really cool things.
Courtesy of www.ziphearing.com/blog/can-surgery-fix-hearing-loss/#sthash.GoLKoLJG.dpuf