Hearing Loss Deafness – Ear System, Causes and Prevention

Hearing loss is a condition that can happen in both children and adults. It can be caused by several factors, and most people do not know how quickly hearing loss can occur or how bad it can be. Many people also do not know that hearing problems are often permanent and once they occur there is nothing that can be done to restore normal hearing.

Although, there are many types of hearing aids that can help these people to hear very well in the market, they are still not the same as normal hearing, and sometimes, machines are still machines, they break down too! For the reason that hearing loss is non recoverable, people should learn and know how to protect themselves from hearing loss as much as they can possibly do so that they will not have to worry about using hearing aids at all.

Understanding Deafness
Those who hear well can be forgiven for taking it for granted. It seems to happen automatically without effort or difficulty. Even the occasional temporary stuffed up ears caused by a head cold, allergy or sinus condition makes the process seem any more miraculous. The truth is that the ability to hear and interpret sounds requires a complex system to work well. If any part of the process is permanently damaged, the result is deafness and hearing loss in one or both ears. As millions of people who suffer from deafness and hearing loss can attest, such an experience happens every day.

The Ear System
The ear is made up of three parts called the outer, middle and inner ear. Sound waves are caught by the outer ear and travel along the canal to the middle ear where the eardrum turns the waves to vibrations which are felt by the tiny bones there. The bones and eardrum magnify the vibrations which are sent to the fluid of the inner ear. Hair cells are contained in the fluid of the cochlea. The hair cells are moved by the vibrating fluid causing a change that produces nerve impulses. These electrical nerve impulses go to the brain for interpretation. Damage to any of these fragile processing parts can mean permanent deafness and hearing loss.

For the system to work, all parts of it must be properly formed. Congenital defects in any significant portion will mean lifelong deafness and hearing loss. From a slight decrease in the circumference of the ear canal to a misshapen cochlea to a malformed outer ear, any significant deviation from the norm means diminished hearing ability. Fortunately, modern science can repair some of the reachable areas of the ear and provide treatment and training for uncorrectable problems.

Inherited disorders can cause gradual hearing loss. Injuries to the ear can damage the tiny bones called ossicles. There are three of them, commonly called the hammer, anvil and stirrup. Sudden, very loud noise can damage the eardrum permanently. Long or repeated exposure to loud noise can do the same. Illnesses such as Measles or meningitis can cause deafness and hearing loss. Obstruction of the ear canal by ear wax, infection or tumors is a danger to hearing.

Causes of Hearing Problems
One of the most common causes of hearing loss is loud noises such as music. Other loud noises can be problematic as well, however, such as when individuals have jobs where they work around noisy machinery all day. Earplugs are important and can be very helpful, but they do not totally protect an individual from hearing loss. It is unfortunate, because hearing loss used to be something that was generally only seen in elderly people, but now more and more young people are suffering with hearing problems because they listen to their music too loud or for too long, which can injure their hearing.

Can Hearing Loss Be Prevented?
Hearing loss can be prevented in some cases, but many people are not aware of how to do this, and so it does not get the importance that it should. For example, when people are young, they often play their music loud, and to add insult to injury they do this in confined spaces such as in their car with all of the windows rolled up tight. This might sound good to them at the time, but later in life they will often find that they do not hear as well as they used to, and this is often upsetting to them, but by then it is too late and a hearing aid is the only thing that they can get to help them out.

In some cases, however, hearing loss cannot be prevented, because some hearing loss is generally to be expected when people get older. This does not mean that all people will have trouble hearing, but only that it is more likely that problems will be experienced as someone gets older. It’s not hopeless, though. Care and precaution can successfully help most to evade deafness and hearing loss.

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