Upon completion of your hearing tests, your audiologist will explain your results and its implications. Please see below for explanation of type of hearing loss you may have. 

This type of hearing loss is caused by damage to the hair cells inside the inner ear, or damage to the hearing nerve, or both. It makes it more difficult to hear quiet sounds and reduces the quality of sound that you can hear. Sensorineural hearing loss is mostly permanent but can often be treated with hearing aids.

Symptoms may include:

  • Hearing loss generally but with some sounds seeming overly loud.
  • Lack of clarity when listening to people speaking.
  • Problems following conversations.
  • Problems hearing in noisy environments.
  • Finding it easier to hear men's voices than women's voices.
  • Problems distinguishing high-pitched sounds (such as "s" or "th") from one another.

Possible causes may include: 

  • Natural aging process 
  • Exposure to loud noises for a long period of time 
  • Genetic factors
  • Infections, such as meningitis or measles
  • Injury to the ear or head
  • Tumours, such as acoustic neuromas
  • Medicines which may be harmful to the hearing system
  • Disease of the blood vessels
  • Diseases and conditions of the immune system
 
 

The ear is made up of three sections, the outer, middle and inner part of the ear. Conductive hearing loss is usually caused by an issue in the outer or middle part of the ear involving the eardrum, middle ear space and/or middle ear bones. It is when a problem with the ear stops sound from passing through to the hearing organ, the cochlea, sitting in the inner part of the ear. It can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause.

Symptoms may include:

  • Muffled hearing.
  • Full sensation in the ear.
  • Pain or tenderness in the ear.
  • Hearing loss accompanied by balance issues.
  • Discharging ear.
  • Problems following conversations.
  • Problems hearing in noisy environments.
 

Possible causes may include: 

  • A foreign body in the ear canal.
  • Wax blocking the ear canal.
  • Fluid in the ear either in front or behind the ear drum.
  • An ear infection.
  • A hole in the ear drum (perforation).
  • Problems in equalising pressure in the ear. 
  • Abnormal growth in the ear canal.
  • Abnormal formation of the ear.
  • Damage to the bones in the ear.
  • Failed ear surgery.

Sometimes, a conductive hearing loss happens at the same time as a sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear, at the same time as there being damage to the inner ear or nerve pathway to the brain. This is a mixed hearing loss. Symptoms and possible causes may be a mixture from both sensorineural and conductive hearing losses.