One-Sided Hearing Loss | Accurate Hearing Technology Inc.

When you think of hearing loss, you may automatically imagine someone experiencing a sudden or gradual loss of hearing in both ears at the same time, and to the same degree. However, you can also develop one-sided (unilateral) hearing loss, a potentially disorienting and debilitating problem.

Fortunately, you don't have to take a case of one-sided hearing loss lying down. The more you know about this problem, from its possible causes to its available solutions, the more effectively you, your doctor, and your audiologist can combat it. Take a moment to absorb these key facts about one-sided hearing loss.

What One-Sided Hearing Loss Sounds Like

One-sided hearing loss can affect your overall hearing in various ways. Perhaps most obviously, the brain loses part of its ability to pinpoint the locations of sounds when it can only use aural data from one ear instead of two. If you can't tell where a given sound comes from, you may face safety hazards in traffic or other environments.

Many individuals who lose some or all of the hearing in one ear struggle to pick out individual voices in a crowded or noisy room, a problem sometimes called the cocktail party effect. They may experience particular trouble when their worse ear receives conversation while their better ear receives distracting noise.

Even if you still enjoy clear hearing in one ear, the loss of information from the other ear will result in a small loss in your overall hearing ability. Specifically, you may lose the ability to gauge the relative loudness or softness of different sounds.

Some people who develop one-sided hearing loss may also develop tinnitus in the affected ear (or even in both ears). Tinnitus involves abnormal ringing, thumping, booming, or hissing noises that interfere with your ability to hear the world around you clearly or enjoy restful sleep.

Why One-Sided Hearing Loss Occurs

Many problems can result in one-sided hearing loss or even total deafness in one ear. Some children have one-sided hearing loss from birth. In people of all ages, damage to the eardrum or other parts of the ear can cause hearing loss. An ear infection or buildup of earwax can also drastically reduce hearing in the affected ear.

Several chronic diseases can also cause one-sided hearing loss. Examples include tumors called acoustic neuromas, an inner ear problem called Meniere's disease, Reye's syndrome, shingles, and issues that restrict blood flow to the ears, neck, head, or brain.

How Medical Professionals Treat One-Sided Hearing Loss

Your primary care physician or ENT may discover that your one-sided hearing loss stems from a reversible or manageable health challenge. Depending on your condition, you might benefit from earwax removal, steroids to reduce swelling in the ear, antibiotics to tame an infection, or surgery to remove a tumor.

Even permanent one-sided hearing loss can still respond well to treatment. Mild to moderate cases may require nothing more than a well-tuned hearing aid to help balance the sound levels in both ears. You might also benefit from a transmitter-receiver system that relays aural signals from the weaker ear to the stronger ear.

Don't lose hope if you experience profound hearing loss or total deafness in one ear. A cochlear implant might help by directly stimulating the auditory nerve in the affected ear. You might also try a bone-conduction hearing aid that transfers sound waves through the bones in your skull to your inner ear.

If you need long-term help with hearing loss in one or both ears, Accurate Hearing Technology Inc. can come to your rescue. Contact us today to schedule a hearing test and discuss hearing aid options with our experienced team.