| ng impairment can affect anyone at any age. It is | | | | premature birth, syphilis and Chlamydia. Hearing loss |
| when a person is unable to pick up sounds either at | | | | can also be caused by damage to the ear or the |
| all or slightly. Not only are humans affected but | | | | brain. Any trauma to the head can cause slight |
| animals are at risk for hearing impairment as well. | | | | hearing loss, total deafness or tinnitus. People who |
| Hearing loss can be conductive or sensorineural. | | | | are ‘hard of hearing’ means that they |
| Conductive hearing loss is when sound is not | | | | are not completely deaf but that they suffer from |
| conducted through the outer or middle ear. | | | | various stages of hearing loss. |
| Conductive hearing loss is a mild problem. | | | | Dealing with hearing loss is a difficult process. Many |
| Sensorineural hearing loss is when there are | | | | people who are born deaf will need to learn sign |
| abnormalities within the hair cells of the Corti within | | | | language to communicate. Not all, but most people |
| the cochlea. This type of hearing loss can be mild to | | | | who are born deaf are also born mute, not being able |
| moderate to severe to complete deafness. | | | | to talk. People who suffer from deafness later in life |
| Hearing loss can be caused by repeated exposure to | | | | are still able to talk but are not able to hear and |
| loud sounds such as airplanes, motor vehicles, jack | | | | differentiate between sounds. Hearing aids are used |
| hammers and other power tools, guns, toys and | | | | by a large population of people with hearing |
| large crowds. People who live near busy freeways | | | | impairments. Hearing aids help to amplify sounds |
| and airports can be exposed to the possibility of | | | | coming into the ear(s) but do not solve the problem |
| hearing loss if they leave their windows open on a | | | | completely. |
| regular basis. Construction workers that use jack | | | | There is an option of having cochlear implants placed |
| hammers usually wear headsets to protect their ears | | | | into the ear(s). The cochlear implants create an |
| from the noise. Other construction equipment can | | | | electrical impulse to stimulate the hairs on the cochlea. |
| cause hearing loss if exposed to it for an extended | | | | This process is expensive and takes a lot of |
| period of time. Even children’s toys, if too | | | | programming to sync up the implants with the |
| loud and the child holds it to their ear, can cause | | | | patient’s ear(s). It is possible for people to |
| hearing loss over time. | | | | suffer from deafness in only one ear and not both. |
| It is possible for hearing loss to be inherited. If a | | | | This is known as unilateral hearing loss. The main |
| family has a history of hearing loss, just like other | | | | problem with this type of hearing impairment is that |
| conditions such as heart disease, it can be inherited | | | | the patient is not able to pinpoint where background |
| from generation to generation. Hearing impairment | | | | noise is coming from because they can only hear out |
| can be caused by prolonged exposure to loud | | | | of one ear. |
| sounds, meningitis, mumps, fetal alcohol syndrome, | | | | |