What Can Cause Permanent Hearing Loss

Can A Middle Ear Infection Cause Hearing Loss

Happily, the answer to this question is almost always no so long as timely treatment is enacted. The main danger of frequent ear infections in children is they can prevent proper hearing during a formative time of life when language skills are being developed. While a middle ear infection can cause hearing loss, other more common causes of hearing loss include:

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How Are Perforated Eardrums Treated

Usually, a perforated eardrum will heal on its own within a few weeks. While the eardrum is healing, your doctor might suggest:

• taking over-the-counter pain relievers
• using antibiotics to prevent infections or treat any existing infections

While your eardrum heals:

• Donât use over-the-counter ear drops unless your doctor tells you to. If there is a hole in the eardrum, some kinds of ear drops can get into the middle ear or cochlea and cause problems.
• Avoid getting water inside the ear canal. Your doctor might recommend that you keep your ear dry during water activities to prevent infection. Gently place a waterproof earplug or cotton ball coated with petroleum jelly in your ear when you shower or take a bath.
• Donât clean your ear or forcefully blow your nose. Wait until the tear in your eardrum is completely healed.

If your eardrum doesnât heal on its own, an ear-nose-throat specialist may recommend surgery to place an eardrum patch. The doctor puts a paper patch over the hole after applying a special medicine to make the tear heal. Doctors may need to do this procedure a few times until the eardrum is fully healed.

If the eardrum patch doesnât work, the ENT specialist might do a surgery known as a tympanoplasty. The surgeon will attach a small patch of your own tissue or use man-made material to cover the hole in your eardrum.

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• Hearing loss can range from mild to profound and has many different causes, including injury, disease, genetic defects and the ageing process.
• Hearing loss at birth is known as congenital hearing loss, while hearing loss that occurs after birth is called acquired hearing loss.
• The most common cause of acquired hearing loss is noise, which accounts for over one quarter of people affected by hearing loss.
• You can protect your hearing by reducing your exposure to loud noise or wearing suitable protection such as ear muffs or ear plugs.

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Can You Prevent Ear Infections

Because colds are very infectious and easily spread among children, it can be very hard to prevent your child from getting sick. However, there are risk factors you can control:

• Limit your childs exposure to secondhand smoke
• Make sure your childand youare vaccinated against the flu every year
• Follow good hygiene habits, like frequent handwashing and using hand sanitizer
• Teach your child to cough into her elbow, not her hands

Can Ear Infections Cause Hearing Loss

Almost everyone experiences ear infections at some point throughout their lives. Approximately five out of every six children are diagnosed with at least one ear infection before age 3. Adults, too, can experience the discomfort, clogged ears, and discharge associated with ear infections. Unfortunately, ear infections can also contribute to hearing loss.

At Memorial Village ENT, Dr. Conrad McCutcheon, a board-certified ENT physician, and , a licensed audiologist, work closely with you to create a treatment plan based on your needs. Here, we explore the link between ear infections and hearing loss and explain how we can help you with hearing loss at any age.

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Is There Surgery To Improve Hearing

Stapedectomy. This is a surgery is a treatment for a disease called otosclerosis. In otosclerosis, the smallest bone in the ear, the stapes, becomes fixed to surrounding bone resulting in conductive hearing loss. The surgery will replace this bone with a prosthesis, significantly improving sound conduction and hearing.

Doctors Advice On: Will A Retracted Eardrum Fix Itself

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Rheumatoid Or Psoriatic Arthritis

These forms of arthritis occur because your immune system attacks healthy joints. Both rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis are identified as autoimmune conditions.

You may experience joint pain throughout your body at different times, including in your TMJ, and certain triggers may cause the pain to flare up.

Recovery From Eardrum Rupture

A ruptured eardrum often heals without any invasive treatment. Most people with ruptured eardrums experience only temporary hearing loss. Even without treatment, your eardrum should heal in a few weeks.

Youll usually be able to leave the hospital within one to two days of an eardrum surgery. Full recovery, especially after treatment or surgical procedures, typically occurs within eight weeks.

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Why Does My Ear Feel Clogged Causes And Treatment

This article has been audited and reviewed by Dr. Ben Thompson, an audiologist and tinnitus expert. For more information about Dr. Thompson, click his name or read his bio below the article!

Its usually once we become sick, with a stuffed nose and lack of taste, do we truly appreciate the nose. Similarly, we might tend to not notice our ears and the job they perform until something goes wrong. If you find yourself asking why does my ear feel clogged? with no other symptoms, then read on. This article will explain some of the causes of blocked ears and your treatment options.

As always, if youre experiencing pain or discomfort and arent sure why, its best to seek advice from your doctor. Theyll be able to give you a thorough check-up and hopefully get to the bottom of your symptoms.

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Five Reasons Your Ears Could Be Blocked And How To Unblock Them

Having a blocked ear can be a serious inconvenience, and at times, a health risk. Blocked ears can muffle and distort sounds, reducing your capacity to hear your surroundings. Having blocked ears is not only irritating, but usually comes with other symptoms such as ear pain, itchiness, or dizziness.

When a blockage occurs, especially if it seems out of the blue, you may wonder why your ear is blocked. There are many causes of a blocked ear surprisingly, its not always the case of ear wax buildup. Although there are many reasons an ear can be blocked, we highlight the five most common reasons your ears are blocked.

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Reasons You May Have Clogged Ear

Clogged ears can cause great discomfort and pain, and ultimately have a negative effect on your hearing. The clogged ear feeling can be a distraction to day-to-day life, and in this blog post, we explain:

• What is a clogged ear?
• What causes ears to feel clogged?
• How you can manage the condition.

At Hearing Direct, you will also find a number of solutions to manage and treat clogged ear wax.

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To Tube Or Not To Tube

Traditionally, children who experience recurrent ear infections for three months or longer and have hearing loss are candidates for a myringotomy, a surgery in which tubes are inserted into the ear to keep the middle ear ventilated. However, in light of new studies, doctors are increasingly opting to forgo this surgery. A 1994 study found that in 23 percent of cases, tubes were medically unnecessary. In addition, a new study of 182 children, published in a recent issue of the medical journal Lancet, found that putting off surgery for up to nine months didnt hamper a toddlers long-term language abilities. If your doctor suggests a myringotomy, you might want a second opinion.

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Noise And Hearing Loss

We are surrounded by noise in nearly all areas of modern life. People do not like loud noises or intense sounds. Our ears are delicate and complex structures that are easily damaged. There is a strong connection between noise and hearing loss. We are exposed to noise at work, to traffic noise in the street and when we listen to music or go to night clubs or concerts where the volume is too loud.

Exposure to noise and high sound levels can result in a noise-induced hearing loss .

What Is Permanent Hearing Loss

• permanent hearing loss

Is hearing loss always permanent? This is a popular question, and one that is very important to understand and investigate if you are experiencing any type of difficulty hearing. There are different types of hearing loss, and not all hearing loss is permanent. If you have temporary hearing loss it is important to understand the underlying cause, and seek treatment so it doesnt become permanent.

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Are There Other Options

It might feel like every phone or music player comes packaged with a tiny pair of earbuds. After all, theyre cheap to make and easy to use.

So what can you do? Go retro with headphones. Theres a reason theyre making a comeback. Sometimes old-school is better. Most electronics stores have entire sections devoted to headphones. The best are noise-canceling headphones, which help block out other noises. That way, you dont have to turn up the volume on your music as loud to hear it well. Noise-canceling headphones also can be good for staying focused on studying or homework, but theyre not great choices if you need to hear the world around you.

Headphones that go over your ears can also damage your hearing if you use them too long or play music too loudly. Theyre just not as much of a risk as earbuds are: Having the source of the sound in your ear canal can increase a sounds volume by 6 to 9 decibels enough to cause some serious problems.

Earbuds exist because so many of us love music. So protect your hearing so you can continue to appreciate music.

Who Is At Risk For Noise

Your child may be around loud noise anywhere. Examples of noises that can cause hearing loss include:

• Common sources of noise from loud appliances such as hair dryers, food processors, blenders traffic or subway or tools or equipment such as leaf blowers and lawn mowers.

• Recreational activities like rock concerts, snowmobiles, go-carts, or radio-controlled airplanes.

• Listening to music on a personal device, like an MP3 player, with the volume turned up too high.

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What Causes A Perforated Eardrum

A perforated eardrum is a rupture or tear in the tympanic membrane, located between your outer ear and middle ear. It can be caused by an infection leading to the accumulation of fluids or in the middle or inner ear. The ear may continue to swell and the eardrum may burst upon experiencing pressure.

Sudden, dramatic shifts in air pressure, such as those experienced when flying in an airplane or scuba diving, can cause your eardrum to burst. This is known as barotrauma and occurs from extreme pressure differences between the inside of your ear and the outside. Loud noises, such as from jackhammers and construction, fireworks, gunshots, or loud music, can cause a perforated eardrum. Sticking foreign objects in your ear can also rupture the eardrum.

How Many Decibels Are To Loud

A continuous noise level of 85 dB will result in hearing damage and either cause permanent or temporary hearing loss. This is the sound level of heavy road traffic. Compressed air hammers have a sound level of about 100 dB and rock concerts almost always reach 110-120 dB – the same sound intensity can easily be produced in headsets when you listen to your stereo. Not to mention the noise levels in many schools and kindergartens!

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Treatments For Hearing Loss

Treatment for hearing loss depends on what’s causing it.

Sometimes a GP may be able to treat the cause, for example:

• an ear infection might be treated with antibiotics
• an earwax build-up might be treated with ear drops or removed

If your hearing loss is not caused by something a GP can treat, they may refer you to a hearing specialist for further tests and treatment.

How Earwax Can Cause Permanent Hearing Loss

Did you know that a simple ear blockage could lead to permanent hearing loss? Find out how this happens and what you can do to prevent it.

A new study researched the long-term effects of conductive hearing loss. The Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary conducted the study to find out whether temporary hearing loss caused by things like chronic ear infections or earwax buildup could lead to permanent hearing impairment. The results of this animal study could lead to better hearing for humans.

What Is Conductive Hearing Loss?

Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is a blockage between the ear canal and the inner ear, preventing sound transmission. It can be caused by something as simple as earwax buildup, an ear infection, or an abnormal bone growth in the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss can cause ear pain, muffled or diminished sounds and a feeling of fullness in your ears.

How Does Conductive Hearing Loss Affect Hearing?

Conductive hearing loss affects the working of the middle ear, preventing sounds from being passed through to the inner ear, where they are converted to electrical signals that get sent to the brain.

A Temporary Impairment Can Lead To Permanent Hearing Loss

Changes To The Inner Ear

Dont Rely On Your Good Ear

“Our findings suggest that audiologists and physicians should advocate for early intervention and treat these middle ear conditions,” the lead researcher said.

Seek Treatment Early

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Ruptured Eardrum Treatment Options

Depending on the severity of your condition, you doctor may choose to monitor the perforation and allow it to heal on its own. However, in some cases, your physician may encourage tissue growth by swabbing the edges of the tear with a chemical to stimulate growth, then place a thin paper patch over the hole while it heals. Surgery may be required if the hole is large enough that a patch will not be sufficient.

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What Noises Cause Hearing Loss

Noise is a significant source of hearing loss, but you can protect your hearing. An important first step is to understand how noise causes hearing loss.

Loud Noise Can Cause Hearing Loss Quickly or Over Time

Hearing loss can result from a single loud sound near your ear. Or, more often, hearing loss can result over time from damage caused by repeated exposures to loud sounds. The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for hearing loss to occur. The longer the exposure, the greater the risk for hearing loss .

Here are some sources of loud noise that you may be exposed to. If you are repeatedly exposed to them over time, they can cause hearing loss.

• Music from smartphones and personal listening devices, particularly when the volume is set close to the maximum
• Fitness classes

• Sporting events, such as football, hockey, and soccer games
• Motorized sporting events, such as monster truck shows, stock car or road races, and snowmobiling
• Movie theaters

• Gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers
• Sirens
• Firecrackers

Common Sources of Noise and Decibel Levels

Sound is measured in decibels . A whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.

The table below shows dB levels and how noise from everyday sources can affect your hearing.

Looking for Data?

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Concerts Loud Noises And Tinnitus

Ringing in your ears after a concert? Thatâs called tinnitus. It’s not the same as hearing loss, but they’re related. The average decibel level at a rock show is 110, enough to do damage in less than 5 minutes. Any noise over 85 decibels can affect your hearing. Other risky sounds include leaf blowers and chain saws. Tinnitus can last for hours, weeks, or forever. To prevent it, wear earplugs and limit your exposure.

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Key Points About Noise

• Your childs inner ears may be damaged if he or she is around extremely loud noises or around loud noises for long periods of time.

• Noise-induced hearing loss is gradual and painless. Once the hearing nerve is destroyed, it is permanent.

• A hearing test can be done by an audiologist or an ENT. An ENT is a specialist who treats problems with the ears, nose, and throat.

• Permanent hearing loss is the most serious complication of noise-induced hearing loss.

• Use earplugs or muffs to help prevent hearing loss.

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