February 14, 2022 - Reading time: 3 minutes
What is mixed hearing loss?
Mixed hearing loss is when a person has conductive hearing loss at the same time as sensorineural hearing loss.
On this page, you can find out all about these types of hearing loss and what they mean.
What is mixed hearing loss?
The definition of mixed hearing loss is that there are elements of both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
An example of mixed hearing loss is a person with a growth in the ear canal (causing a conductive hearing loss) and damage to the inner ear (causing a sensorineural hearing loss) caused by acoustic trauma.
What does sensorineural hearing loss mean?
In the inner ear, the cochlea is shaped like a snail shell and converts sound vibrations into electrical impulses.
Sensorineural hearing loss means the inner ear or hearing nerve is damaged or unable to process sound as intended. This type of hearing loss can be genetic or acquired during a person’s life. It can affect people of all ages.
The inner ear and hearing nerve deliver a high-resolution signal to the brain for processing. When the inner ear is damaged, the sound's resolution reduces, making the sound not only quieter but less precise. It can also result in a decreased tolerance for louder sounds, making them uncomfortable.
Learn more about sensorineural hearing loss
What does conductive hearing loss mean?
Conductive hearing loss is when there is damage or an obstruction in the outer or middle ear. This prevents the sound waves from being effectively conducted from the outside world and into the inner ear.
There are different causes of conductive loss. These include a deformity in the ear’s anatomy, infection or disease, or damage to the outer ear or the bones (ossicles) in the middle ear, which prevent sound from being transmitted to the inner ear.
Learn more about conductive hearing loss here
What’s it like to have mixed hearing loss?
How much people with mixed hearing loss can hear depends on their level of hearing loss. Their hearing also depends on how much of the overall hearing loss is due to sensorineural hearing loss, and how much is due to conductive hearing loss in the outer or middle ear.
