Can Hearing Loss Be Restored?

Nearly 48 million Americans have some type of hearing loss that affects the communication, relationships, health and even the careers of those afflicted. If you have hearing loss, you might wonder if there is any way to restore your hearing to its original ability. The short answer is: it depends. There are ear surgeries to restore hearing if you have certain types of hearing loss but only a small percentage of people with hearing loss are good candidates for surgery.

Sensorineural hearing loss

If you’ve been diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss, you're in good company. This is the most common type of hearing loss affecting adults, and it can occur for a variety of reasons including old age (presbycusis), exposure to sudden or persistently loud noise, disease and infections, head or acoustic trauma, tumors or medications.

Sensorineural hearing loss means the hair cells of the inner ear or the nerve pathways that connect the inner ear to the brain have been damaged. These hair cells, located in the cochlea, are responsible for translating the noise your outer ear collects into electrical impulses and then sending them along the auditory nerve for the brain to interpret as recognizable sound. Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent. Once damaged, your auditory nerve and cilia cannot be repaired. But, depending on the severity of the damage, sensorineural hearing loss has been successfully treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Treatments for hearing loss

Hearing aids

Hearing aids have come a long way in the last ten years. 95% of Americans with hearing loss can be treated with hearing aids. Only 5% of hearing loss in adults can be treated by surgery. Nine out of 10 hearing aid users report improvements in quality of life. The use of hearing aids is associated with reductions in anger, frustration, paranoia and anxiety and overall improvements in emotional stability, higher earnings power and higher cognitive function.

Cochlear implants

Adults and children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss may be able to have partial hearing restored with a cochlear implant. Unlike a traditional hearing aid, which amplifies sound, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the auditory system to directly stimulate the auditory nerve.

Cochlear implant surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis after a thorough diagnosis. This includes an examination of the ear and its anatomy, the auditory system and an overall physical examination to determine patient health. Most surgeons will not perform a cochlear implant surgery unless the patient has tried hearing aids without success. Because this surgery is highly invasive, it is reserved for only the most severely hearing impaired patients. 

Treatment for conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is an obstruction or damage to the outer or middle ear that prevents sound from being conducted to the inner ear. Conductive hearing loss may be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause and sometimes, medical or surgical intervention can restore hearing.

Surgery may correct conductive hearing loss that is due to the congenital absence of ear canal or failure of the ear canal to be open at birth, congenital absence, malformation, or dysfunction of the middle ear structures (i.e. from head trauma), and otosclerosis. Amplification may be a solution with the use of a bone-conduction hearing aid, or a surgically implanted, osseointegrated device, or a conventional hearing aid, depending on the status of the hearing nerve. Antibiotic or antifungal medications are often used to treat chronic ear infections, or chronic middle fluid. Tumors usually require surgery.

Orange County Physicians’ Hearing Services

Hopefully, in the not-so-distant future, people with hearing loss will have more options for restoring lost hearing. Currently, surgeries for hearing loss can only correct very specific losses while people with the most common types still benefit the most from simply wearing hearing aids.  

If you have hearing loss, visit us at Orange County Physicians for regular hearing evaluations. If your hearing loss can be treated by wearing hearing aids, don’t delay. Work with your professional to find the right hearing aid solution for your lifestyle and budget. The sooner you are hearing your best, the happier and healthier you will be.