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What are the common causes of hearing loss in adults?
Some of the most common causes of hearing loss include:
- Ageing
- Excessive noise exposure
- Injury
- Viral infections (such as measles or mumps)
- Ear wax build-up
- Ototoxic drugs (medications that damage hearing)
- Genetics
Hearing loss can occur at any time during your life. You can benefit from getting your hearing checked by one of hearing care experts, no matter what has caused your hearing loss.
Self-assessment: Do I need a hearing test?
Just answer the four questions below to see whether you should consider getting a hearing test.
Question 1 – Around the table
Do you have trouble following conversations when there are four or more people present?
Question 2 – Family and friends
Have your family or friends suggested that you get your hearing tested?
Question 3 – Understanding what others say
Do you ever struggle to understand what others are saying because you cannot hear them properly?
Question 4 – TV or radio
Do you find yourself turning up the TV or radio, even when the volume is loud enough for others?
Your Result:
You would benefit from a hearing test
Your answers indicate that you experience symptoms of hearing loss. We strongly recommend booking a hearing test in one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
Book your free hearing test:
Your Result:
It seems you’d benefit from a hearing test
Your answers indicate that you experience some symptoms of hearing loss. We recommend booking a hearing test in one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
Book your free hearing test:
Your Result:
It cannot be determined whether you’d benefit from a hearing test
Your answers do not indicate that you experience symptoms of hearing loss. However, if you experience trouble hearing, we recommend booking a hearing test in one of our clinics.
The result is an indication. An in-person hearing test can determine if you have a hearing loss.
Book your free hearing test:
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis)
Age is the single biggest cause of hearing loss. Changes in the inner ear occur naturally as we grow older. Genes and loud noise can also play a big role. When your hearing starts to weaken, it becomes more difficult to:
- Hear soft voices
- Hear high-frequency sounds (voices of children and women)
- Follow conversations when there's background noise
Because the loss is gradual, you may not realise that you’ve lost some of your hearing ability.
Noise-induced hearing loss
Repeated exposure to high levels of noise is another common cause of hearing loss. If you're exposed to loud noise for too long, the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear become damaged, and your ability to hear clearly can be affected.
Some people have a higher risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss if they're exposed to loud noise in their work environment (e.g. military personnel or musicians). Listening to excessively loud music at live concerts (or through headphones) can also cause hearing damage. There are things you can do to help prevent hearing loss.
Congenital hearing loss
Congenital hearing loss is a specific hearing loss cause. It means that a baby is born with hearing difficulties. The baby's hearing loss can be caused by either genetic defects, infections during pregnancy or low birth weight.
When compared to all causes of hearing loss, congenital hearing loss is quite rare: less than 1% of babies are born with hearing loss.
Protect your ears in loud environments
Look after your ears in these situations by limiting your exposure to loud sounds (when possible) or by wearing high-quality ear plugs or ear defenders.
Loud background noise
Any environment where you need to shout to make yourself heard over background noise
Industrial noise
An environment where the noise hurts your ears or makes them ring
Live music
Concerts or festivals where the sound levels are much higher than normal
Did you know?
Today’s hearing aids are more technologically advanced and smaller than ever.
Some of them are practically invisible but still offer excellent sound quality – even in difficult listening situations.
Others can also be connected to your smartphone (or other smart devices) so you can stream sound directly into your hearing aids.
Treatment options for hearing loss
Regardless of the cause of your hearing loss, there is help available.
Understanding the source of your difficulties gives our experts insight into your needs.
While there's a wide range of possible causes and treatments for hearing loss, most hearing loss cases are treated with hearing aids.
Hearing loss causes FAQs
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It's important to recognise early signs of hearing loss. The earlier you seek help, the more effective the treatment can be. That's why we encourage you to speak with our professionals as soon as you notice any difficulties with your hearing and communication.
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Because some types of hearing loss are gradual, you may not notice it yourself. Family members and friends will often notice someone's hearing challenges before the individual does. Sensorineural hearing loss, the most common type of hearing loss, is typically progressive, so it can get worse over time. However, in most cases it will hit a plateau where the noise level that can be heard remains steady.
Read more about how you can identify the degree of your hearing loss.
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A hearing test from a registered hearing care expert is the only way to confirm if you have a hearing loss or not. But there are online hearing tests available which may give you an indication of whether or not you have a loss. Our online hearing test uses background noise, tone tests, and self-evaluation questions to give you a idea of whether or not you have hearing loss. Take our online hearing test
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This is considered a medical emergency, so you should visit a doctor immediately. A rapid loss of hearing – usually in one ear – can be caused by sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) (also known as sudden deafness.) It usually occurs either at once or over several days, and the cause is usually unknown.
Call your doctor immediately if you experience sudden hearing loss.
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Measles, meningitis and other illnesses can cause permanent hearing loss. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA), about one in ten children who contract measles suffer from ear infections which may lead to permanent hearing loss. Certain viral infections can directly damage the inner ear, causing sudden sensorineural hearing loss. These include measles, rubella (German measles), HIV, West Nile virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and mumps. This kind of hearing loss can happen in one or both ears.
Sources
1. https://www.babyhearing.org/genetic-hearing-loss-faq
