Overview
Hearing loss is a partial or complete reduction in the ability to hear, which can come on gradually with age or suddenly from injury or infection. It affects communication, learning in children, and quality of life, and is often ignored for years. Many causes, such as wax, infection or fluid, are easily treated, while age-related and nerve-related loss can be greatly helped by hearing aids. Sudden hearing loss is an emergency needing quick treatment.
Symptoms
- Difficulty following conversations, especially in noise
- Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
- Turning up the volume louder than others prefer
- Ringing in the ears
- Delayed speech or poor response to sound in children
When to see a doctor
See a doctor for any lasting drop in hearing, a child not responding to sound, and urgently for sudden hearing loss in one ear.
Emergency — call 108 or go to the nearest hospital
- Sudden loss of hearing in one or both ears over hours to days — go to an ENT doctor urgently, early treatment can restore hearing
Causes
Ear wax, infections, fluid, ageing, long exposure to loud noise, some medicines, and nerve or inner-ear problems.