This kind of hearing loss happens when sounds cannot pass through the outer and middle ear into the inner ear. Hearing loss in the middle ear is a common factor in mixed hearing loss, which involves both inner and outer ear hearing problems. Middle-ear hearing loss can impact people of all ages and can happen for a variety of reasons.
Middle-ear hearing loss can cause the following symptoms:
The causes of middle ear hearing loss are:
A physical exam will typically be done by a doctor to see if there are malformations of the ear that are causing hearing loss. Screening tests to verify which parts of the hearing are damaged can be completed by an audiologist. Tuning fork tests are also commonly used to help identify which tonal range a patient struggles to hear. Audiometer testing can also be conducted through the use of specific sound types and pitches to find out which part of the hearing is damaged.
If there is pain in the ear, a doctor might do diagnostic tests to rule out things like eustachian tube dysfunction, chronic ear infection, or things like tumours in the ear canal, which could be causing pain along with hearing loss.
Prevention of hearing loss involves wearing proper ear protection when you are going to be exposed to loud noises. If you work in an industrial environment, for example, you will need to wear ear protection every day. Treating recurring ear infections promptly and breaking the cycle of consistent infection is key for inner ear health related to this kind of hearing loss. Make sure to avoid activities that might damage the outer or middle ear, like hunting, or wrestling.
Treatment of this kind of hearing loss might involve treating an infection and then seeing if the patient’s hearing is improved. If there is a lot of earwax in the ear canal, hearing loss can sometimes be resolved just by removing the wax plug. Tumours or malformations of the ear can sometimes be corrected through surgery. Patients with hearing loss that cannot be treated through these mediums might need hearing aids, or they could benefit from cochlear implants to improve their hearing.