Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss

How the Ear Works
Causes of Hearing Loss
Quick Hearing Test

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 36 million Americans have a hearing loss—this includes 17% of our adult population. Unfortunately, only 20% of those individuals who might benefit from treatment actually seek help. Most tend to delay treatment until they cannot communicate even in the best of listening situations. On average, hearing aid users wait over 10 years after their initial diagnosis to be fit with their first set of hearing aids.

Several studies have documented the impact of untreated hearing loss. The National Council on Aging commissioned a survey in 1999 (Kochkin & Rogin, 2000).

This nationwide survey of nearly 4,000 adults with hearing loss and their significant others showed significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other psychosocial disorders in individuals with hearing loss who were not wearing hearing aids. This survey looked at the positive benefits of amplification and showed that hearing aid use positively affected quality of life for both the hearing aid wearer and his or her significant other.

For more information on how to improve your hearing, please visit our Hearing Improvement section.

Hearing Improvement
Hearing loss

How the Ear Works

The human ear works like a relay team, with each runner carrying the baton along one leg, and then passing to on to the next, until finally crossing the finish line!

How the ear works Hearing loss
  • First
    a sound from the environment is picked up by the outer ear (aka pinna) and passed down the ear canal to the eardrum.
  • Second
    the eardrum begins to vibrate, which causes the chain of three tiny ear bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) in the middle ear to move.
  • Third
    the movement from the chain of ear bones sends the vibration from the eardrum to the inner ear (aka cochlea).
  • Fourth
    when the sound vibration hits the inner ear it becomes a fluid wave, which travels along to stimulate the nerve endings (aka hair cells) of the high pitches or low pitches, depending on the frequency of the original sound.

Finally, the stimulated nerve endings send the sound information along the auditory nerve to our brain where the sound is perceived and interpreted.

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Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can come from any part of the ear system; however, hearing loss due to a problem with the inner ear is by far the most common cause.

Ear anatomy Hearing loss

FYI: If a hearing loss is due to a problem with the outer or middle ear it is called “conductive hearing loss,” if it is due to a problem with the inner ear or auditory nerve it is called “sensorineural hearing loss” and if the hearing loss is due to a combination of both conductive and sensorineural components it is called a “mixed hearing loss.”

  • Outer Ear

    Excessive build-up of earwax, deformity of the ear canal, a hole in the eardrum or foreign objects. (Now where did I put that bean?)

  • Middle Ear

    Fluid behind the eardrum can cause a temporary hearing loss. Otosclerosis or other conditions that cause the chain of three tiny ear bones to not move properly and Cholesteatomas or other types of growths can cause hearing loss, which in some cases is surgically correctable.

  • Inner Ear

    Noise exposure, ototoxic medications, and the aging process can permanently damage the nerves of the inner ear. Other causes also include Meniere’s Disease, genetic conditions, illness, head injury, and autoimmune inner ear disease.

  • Auditory Nerve

    Very rarely a tumor on the auditory nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain will cause hearing loss.

Quick Hearing Test

American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association’s Self Test for Hearing Loss
You can use this self-administered test as an initial screening to determine if an audiologic (hearing) evaluation is needed.

If you answer yes to more than two of the following questions, you should have your hearing evaluated further by a certified audiologist.

  • Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?
  • Do you hear better through one ear than the other when you are on the telephone?
  • Do you have trouble following the conversation with two or more people talking at the same time?
  • Do people complain that you turn the TV volume up too high?
  • Do you have to strain to understand conversation?
  • Copy of Do you have a problem hearing over the telephone?
  • Do you have trouble hearing in a noisy background?
  • Do you have trouble hearing in restaurants?
  • Do you have dizziness, pain, or ringing in your ears?
  • Do you find yourself asking people to repeat themselves?
  • Do family members or coworkers remark about your missing what has been said?
  • Do many people you talk to seem to mumble (or not speak clearly)?
  • Do you misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately?
  • Do you have trouble understanding the speech of women and children?
  • Do people get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say?
Contact New Leaf Hearing Clinic Today
(303) 639-5323

Contact Us

The New Leaf Hearing Clinic serves the communities of Arvada, Westminster, and Broomfield.

Call today to schedule an appointment! 303.639.5323