What it is:
This results from damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the auditory nerve pathways leading to the brain.
What makes it unique:
It’s typically permanent and most commonly related to aging or noise exposure. Amplification (hearing aids, implants) is often required.
Common causes:
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis)
Long-term noise exposure (loud music, machinery)
Inner ear diseases (Ménière’s disease)
Head trauma or viral infections
Symptoms:
Trouble hearing faint sounds
Difficulty understanding speech, especially in noisy places
Sounds may seem distorted or unclear
Trouble with high-pitched sounds (e.g., birds, children’s voices)
What it is:
This occurs when sound is not able to travel efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones (ossicles) in the middle ear.
What makes it unique:
It’s often mechanical in nature — meaning something physically blocks or reduces the conduction of sound (like wax buildup or fluid). The inner ear and auditory nerve usually remain normal.
Common causes:
Earwax blockage (cerumen impaction)
Ear infections (fluid in the middle ear)
Perforated eardrum
Abnormal bone growth (otosclerosis)
Symptoms:
Muffled or reduced sound, especially soft sounds
A feeling of “fullness” or pressure in the ear
Hearing better in one ear than the other
Sometimes improved hearing when speaking loudly
What it is:
A combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss — meaning there is damage in both the outer/middle ear and the inner ear or nerve pathways.
What makes it unique:
It has dual causes — one part may be treatable (like wax removal), but the sensorineural part often remains permanent.
Common causes:
Chronic ear infections that also damage the cochlea
Ear injury that affects both middle and inner ear structures
A conductive issue occurring in someone who already has sensorineural hearing loss
Symptoms:
Combination of the above two types: muffled sounds + distorted clarity
Difficulty hearing both soft and loud sounds
May improve partially with medical treatment, but often still requires amplification