Family Resources
Types of Hearing Loss

A graphic presentation that shows the softest sounds a person can hear at different pitches or frequencies. The closer the marks are to the top of the graph, the softer the sounds that person can hear. Where the patient's results fall on the audiogram indicate the different degrees of hearing loss.

Hearing loss caused by something, such as fluid, that stops sounds from getting through the outer or middle ear. This type of hearing loss can often be treated with medicine or surgery.

Hearing loss that occurs when there is a problem in the way the inner ear or hearing nerve works.

Hearing loss that includes both a conductive and a sensorineural hearing loss.

Hearing loss that occurs when sound enters the ear normally, but because of damage to the inner ear or the hearing nerve, the nerve has difficulty transmitting the information in a way that the brain can understand.

A person with a mild hearing loss may hear some speech sounds but soft sounds are hard to hear.

A person with a moderate hearing loss may hear almost no speech when another person is talking at a normal level.

A person with severe hearing loss will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level and only some loud sounds.

A person with a profound hearing loss will not hear any speech and may only hear very loud sounds.

Hearing loss is in one ear (unilateral), or both ears (bilateral).

Hearing loss happened before a person learned to talk (pre-lingual), or after a person learned to talk (post-lingual).

Hearing loss is the same in both ears (symmetrical), or is different in each ear (asymmetrical).

Hearing loss worsens over time (progressive), or happens quickly (sudden).

Hearing loss gets either better or worse over time (fluctuating), or stays the same over time (stable).

Hearing loss is present at birth (congenital) or appears sometime later in life (acquired or delayed onset).