Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss means that sound isn't conducted adequately through your outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, or ossicles, of your middle ear. Conductive hearing loss generally involves a reduction in sound level and results in the inability to hear faint sounds. However, you can still hear people speaking to you, but their speech may sound muffled, weak or far away.

Conductive hearing loss may occur in conjunction with sensorineural hearing loss or on its own. Most conductive hearing losses affect all frequencies of your hearing evenly and they don't usually result in severe hearing losses. A person with a conductive hearing loss is usually able to use a hearing aid or can have their hearing loss treated and corrected medically or surgically.

There are various types of conductive hearing loss - such as otitis media and ostosclerosis. There are also many conditions that may cause somebody to suffer from conductive hearing loss. These include - fluid build-up in the middle ear due to colds, allergies, poor eustachian tube function, ear infection, perforated eardrum, benign tumors, impacted earwax, and ear canal infection, the presence of a foreign body in your ear, and the absence or malformation of your ear canal, middle ear or outer ear. Most children who suffer from recurring ear infections or persisting middle ear effusion (fluid behind the eardrum) usually have a conductive hearing impairment.

If you suspect that you or somebody you know has conductive hearing loss, get them to have their ears tested as soon as possible.