ABOUT HEARING LOSS > Home
Hearing loss is invisible and almost always painless.
There are no physical warning signs, except for the
occasional cases of ringing in the ears, called “tinnitus.”
Most hearing losses develop over a long period of time,
often getting gradually worse with age. Between
ages 45 and 60, there can be enough deterioration to
interfere with communication.
Researchers believe that hearing loss in older adults is
the result of multiple causes. These may include:
- Exposure to loud noise
- Family history
- The natural aging process
- Prescriptions/Medications
- Environmental Causes
Common causes are:
- Impacted wax
- Perforated eardrum
- Middle ear effusion (escape of fluid into the middle ear behind the eardrum)
- Otosclerosis (a condition in which the bones of the middle ear become immobile
because of bony growth)
- Cholesteatoma (accumulation of tissue in the middle ear caused by repeated
middle ear infections)
- Congenital anomalies
Other causes of hearing loss include:
- Ototoxic drugs (certain antibiotics)
- Viral and toxic illness
- Disturbances of fluid in the inner ear
