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Hearing Loss
405-271-7558

Hearing loss affects more than just you. It affects your family, co-workers and every individual you contact.

Oklahoma Ear Institute audiologists conduct a thorough evaluation of your hearing by utilizing an audiogram. This examination will determine the type of hearing loss you have.

There are three types of hearing loss. Find out more about each by clicking on the links below:

Conductive hearing loss
Sensory and Neural hearing loss
Treatment Options  

Conductive Hearing Loss

An obstruction of the external ear or external auditory canal, disease or condition of the tympanic membrane or bones of hearing will result in a conductive hearing loss.

Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss include:

• Cerumen (ear wax)
• Tympanic Membrane (ear drum) damage
• Otitis Media (middle ear infection)
• Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
• Otosclerosis (abnormal bone growth)
• Cholesteatoma (cyst-like lesion)

Sensory and Neural Hearing Loss

Sensory and neural hearing losses are commonly combined into the single term of sensorineural hearing loss due to the fact that it is often not possible to localize the site of the dysfunction.

Oklahoma Ear Institute specialists will determine if your hearing loss is a result of any of the following:

• Congenital disorder
• Virus
• Infection
• Medication
• Head injury
• Heredity
• Aging

Most sensorineural hearing losses are due to damage of the hair cells in the cochlea. Once destroyed, these hair cells no longer initiate the electrical neural impulses of the auditory nerve. 

Treatment Options

Depending on what type of hearing loss you have, the Oklahoma Ear Institute specialists may prescribe the following treatment options:

• Hearing aids
• Surgical correction of ear conditions
• Implantation of bone anchored hearing appliances (BAHA)
• Cochlear implants (a surgically implanted hearing device)

The Oklahoma Ear Institute’s Cochlear Implant Program is affiliated with the Oklahoma School for the Deaf. The team includes a board-certified neurotologist, specially-trained audiologists, speech pathologists and deaf education specialists.