1. How we DON’T Hear Types of Hearing Loss, How they Happen, and What can be Done about Them

2. How Does a Person Hear? http://www.earinfo.com/howread1.html

3. What are the “Levels of Deafness”?

5. Types of Hearing Tests Air Conduction Standard hearing screen Uses “headphones” Bone Conduction Standard hearing test includes this Uses a “bone conductor headphone”

6. Conductive Hearing Loss Occurs in the external or middle ear Can be caused by a number of reasons: Closed external auditory meatus Blocked EAM from wax, debris, tumors Damaged tympanic membrane Damaged ossicles Otitis Media (Ear Infection) Other problems

7. Conductive Loss: How Much? How Can it be Fixed? A conductive loss is up to 60 dB Most of the time it can be medically corrected, either through drugs or surgery

8. Sensorineural Loss Occurs in the Inner Ear (cochlea, auditory nerve, or the brain) Can be caused by a number of reasons: Age Illness (high fever, lack of oxygen) Medicines Loud Noises Tumors

9. Sensorineural Loss: How Much? How Can it be Fixed? A sensorineural loss can be complete (beyond 120 db) It can NEVER be fixed A hearing aid can amplify what is being heard, but cannot correct the hearing A cochlear implant can be surgically implanted to restore a “hearing-like” sensation, but does not sound like normal hearing 90% of hearing loss is in this category

10. MixedMixed Loss A combination of a conductive loss and a sensorineural loss Can be caused by a number of reasons: Medicinally damaged cochlea + otitis media Tumor on 8 th cranial nerve + closed external auditory meatus Noised-induced hearing loss + wax build-up Basically, any conductive less + nerve damage

11. Mixed Loss: How much? How Can it be Fixed? The loss of dB (how much you can hear) depends on how much sensorineural loss combined with the conductive loss The conductive loss can most likely be fixed; however, the sensorineural loss cannot.