Types of Hearing Loss - Conductive Hearing loss
A conductive hearing loss occurs when there is interference with sound waves that travel through the outer and middle ear. This could be due, for example, to a perforated eardrum, wax in the ear or problems with the middle ear bones—the malleus, incus and stapes. This type of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected. Testing for a conductive component of a hearing loss is standard procedure in a comprehensive audiological exam performed at Paradise Hearing & Balance Clinics Inc. When a conductive component is discovered in a hearing loss we then refer the patient to an ENT.
Examples of conditions that may cause a conductive hearing loss include:
- Conditions associated with middle ear pathology such as fluid in the middle ear from colds, allergies (serous otitis media), poor Eustachian tube function, ear infection (otitis media)*, perforated eardrum, benign tumors
- Impacted earwax (cerumen)
- Infection in the ear canal (external otitis)
- Presence of a foreign object
- Absence or malformation of the outer ear, ear canal, or middle ear
*75% of all children will experience at least one episode of otitis media by age 3.
