Types of Hearing Loss Submitted by: Brenda Williams There are
two main types of hearing loss: conductive hearing loss and
sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is
commonly referred to as nerve deafness. It occurs when the tiny
hair cells in the inner ear, the auditory nerve or the brain are
damaged. A sensorineural hearing loss is permanent. Conductive
hearing loss is the result of improper sound transmission
through the ear canal to the eardrum and tiny bones in the
middle ear. A person with conductive hearing loss has a problem
with hearing sounds whereas someone with sensorineural hearing
loss has difficulty distinguishing the sounds so that ‘pin’ may
sound like ‘fin’ or ‘peach’ may be heard as ‘teach.’ Sometimes a
patient will have both a conductive loss and a sensorineural
loss. When this occurs it is referred to as a mixed hearing
loss. Another type of hearing loss is presbycusis or age-related
hearing loss. Presbycusis can begin as early as age 40. It is
progressive and affects the per