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Unilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear)

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Hearing loss affecting one ear

What is unilateral hearing loss?

Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) means that you experience a loss of hearing in the right ear, or the left ear, but not both. In contrast, bilateral hearing loss is when hearing loss affects both ears.

Unilateral hearing loss, sometimes called single-sided deafness (SSD) or deafness in one ear, affects millions of people all around the world.

Should you have a hearing test?

Unilateral hearing loss represented by sound waves entering one ear and a red 'X' near the other ear.
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Book a free test for unilateral hearing loss

Book a free hearing test to find out if you have unilateral hearing loss (or any other type of hearing loss). We can suggest treatment options and help you understand your condition better.
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Symptoms of unilateral hearing loss

Mother leaning in to hear her daughter while sitting together in a kitchen.
Unable to follow conversations with the affected ear
Older couple having coffee and engaging in conversation
Difficulty to understand speech and conversations when there's background noise
Man with short gray hair looking out of a window while sitting on a couch, appearing focused on an outdoor sound.
Trouble identifying which direction sounds are coming from
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Causes of hearing loss in one ear

There are a number of recognised causes of unilateral hearing loss, including:

  • Mastoiditis
  • Mumps
  • Waardenburg syndrome
  • Ménière's disease
  • Meningitis
  • Microtia
  • Labyrinthitis
  • Measles
  • Acoustic neuroma
  • Physical trauma

Age-related hearing loss (Presbycusis) 

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Treatment for hearing loss in one ear

There are many effective treatment options for unilateral hearing loss available, although the results of treatment depend on a broad range of factors and circumstances.

Typical treatments include:

  • Hearing aids
  • Bone anchored hearing systems
  • Cochlear implants

Book a free hearing test to learn about your hearing needs and to talk about potential treatment options with a hearing care expert.

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Conductive vs. sensorineural unilateral hearing loss

Unilateral conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sounds can't pass freely through the eardrum or past the tiny bones, known as ossicles, in the middle ear. This is due to a breakdown in the effectiveness of sound waves being sent from the outer ear.
Conductive hearing loss


Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss

Sensorineural hearing loss, on the other hand, occurs when there is damage to the hair cells in the cochlea (found in the inner ear) or to the nerve pathways which lead from the inner ear to the brain. A person may also suffer from mixed hearing loss, which is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss

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David Shepherd, Hearing Aid Dispenser

David Shepherd is a hearing aid dispenser who qualified through the Hearing Aid Council (HAC) in 1999. He has worked for Hidden Hearing for 18 years as a dispenser, team leader and mentor. He is currently the clinic dispenser in Hereford.

Last reviewed 2024-07-01

Sources

1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2017.1337938
2. https://www.asha.org/siteassets/ais/ais-unilateral-hearing-loss.pdf
3. https://journals.lww.com/ear-hearing/fulltext/2020/03000/effects_of_simulated_and_profound_unilateral.19.aspx
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/hearing-loss-on-one-side

Relevant links

  1. Home
  2. Hearing loss
  3. Types
  4. In one ear