Sensorineural hearing loss is a very common type of hearing loss that affects people of all ages.

Many people develop hearing loss as they get older. This age-related hearing loss is a type of sensorineural hearing loss. However, sensorineural hearing loss can also be caused by genetic factors.

What does sensorineural hearing loss mean?

Sensorineural hearing loss means the inner ear or hearing nerve is damaged or unable to process sound as it should.

The inner ear and hearing nerve deliver a high-resolution signal to the brain for processing. If the inner ear is damaged, the sound's resolution is reduced, making the sound quieter and less precise.

This can be caused by damage to the tiny hair cells inside the cochlea, which is part of the inner ear that resembles a snail shell.

You can get a better understanding of how hearing works in this article about hearing loss.

What are the symptoms of sensorineural hearing loss?

If you have sensorineural hearing loss, you may experience one or more of the following:

• difficulty understanding or hearing speech when there is background noise (e.g., at a restaurant or café)
• a decreased tolerance for louder sounds, so they quickly become uncomfortable
• you feel that people mumble or that sounds are not sharp
• other people complain that your TV is too loud
• you experience ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
• you often ask others to repeat themselves
• you have difficulty understanding people on the phone
• other people notice that you do not hear well.

If you experience sensorineural hearing loss symptoms, you should have your hearing tested by a hearing care specialist.

Before you book an appointment with a hearing care specialist, you can check your hearing with an online hearing test.