How is Hearing Loss Treated?

Hearing loss can be treated in several different ways, depending on the cause and the severity of the issue. Once your audiologist has evaluated your hearing function and confirmed the diagnosis, a bespoke treatment plan can be created. 

With extensive training, qualifications and certifications, an audiologist is well-placed to diagnose and treat all types of hearing loss. Their specialist knowledge and ability to undertake thorough testing ensures they can provide the best treatment for your hearing issues. 

Treating temporary hearing loss

When temporary hearing loss occurs, it can often be reversed by treating the causative issue. If an ear infection is impacting your hearing function, treating the infection with antibiotics should allow your hearing function to return to normal.

Alternatively, if a build-up of earwax is blocking the ear canal and affecting your hearing, professional removal of the wax will clear the blockage and resolve the hearing loss. Similarly, if water or a foreign body is blocking the ear canal, its successful removal should remedy any associated hearing loss. 

Although temporary hearing loss can often be successfully treated, it is important to seek advice from an audiologist as soon as possible. When hearing issues are ignored or misdiagnosed, the delay can cause temporary hearing loss to become permanent. By seeking advice from your audiologist when you first experience hearing loss, you can minimize the risk of further damage occurring and begin the appropriate treatment straight away

Treating permanent hearing loss

Although your hearing function cannot typically be restored once it has been permanently damaged, there are a range of treatments which can enable you to hear clearly. Hearing aids are the most popular form of treatment for permanent hearing loss and are extremely successful. Indeed, most people diagnosed with hearing loss use hearing aids to enhance their hearing function.

In order to prescribe the most effective hearing aids, your audiologist will carry out several hearing functions tests. These are designed to assess the type of hearing loss you’re experiencing and the severity of your hearing loss. With this information, your audiologist can recommend the most effective hearing aids for you and fit them accordingly.

There are various types of hearing aid that can help enhance hearing function and your audiologist will help find the right type for you. Invisible-in-canal, completely-in-canal, mini-in-canal in-the-ear, behind-the-ear and receiver-in-canal are all popular forms of hearing aids and are widely used throughout the U.S.

While hearing aids are the most versatile treatment option for permanent hearing loss, some individuals prefer to use amplification devices, such as telephone amplifiers or personal amplification devices. In general, these are less effective than hearing aids and don’t provide the same level of treatment that a hearing aid can.

For some individuals, hearing implants are a viable form of treatment for hearing loss. Cochlear implants, middle ear implants, bone-anchored devices and auditory brainstem implants are all used to improve hearing function, depending on the type of hearing loss you’re affected by.