Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can cut you off from the sounds of the world. Led by skilled otolaryngologist and neurotologist Ricardo Cristobal, MD, PhD, FACS, the team at Texas Ear Clinic offers diagnosis and treatment of conditions that cause hearing loss. While you can’t always restore lost hearing, you can improve what you do hear through hearing amplification, cochlear implants, tympanoplasty or ossiculoplasty. Call the Fort Worth, Texas, today or use the online tool to schedule an appointment if you’re bothered by hearing loss.

How do I know I have hearing loss?

Hearing loss, especially if it’s age-related, can develop slowly; you may not notice it at first. Look for the following signs: 

• Trouble understanding words
• Muffling of speech and other sounds
• Needing to turn up the television volume
• Being bothered by background noise
• Often asking others to repeat themselves
• Ringing in the ears

If you have a sudden loss of hearing, it’s important you seek medical attention immediately. 

What causes hearing loss?

Hearing loss may result from a problem in the outer ear (ear canal), middle ear (space behind the eardrum) or deeper in the bonee (inner ear and hearing nerve). It can occur due to something as simple as a buildup of earwax. As you age, many people notice a decline in hearing because of changes to the inner ear and auditory nerve. 

Other potential causes of hearing loss include:

• Damage to the inner ear
• Ear infection
• Middle ear cyst such as cholesteatoma
• Otosclerosis, a disease of the middle ear 
• Ménière's disease
• Autoimmune inner ear disease
• Certain medications
• One very loud noise or regular exposure to loud noises
• Acoustic neuroma
• Traumatic head injury
• Ruptured eardrum
• Unusual growths or tumors
• Inner ear malformations, genetic conditions

The fluid that cushions your brain and spinal cord is known as cerebral spinal fluid. If it leaks, it changes the pressure and volume in the head, affecting the inner ear and your hearing.

How do you treat hearing loss?

Your treatment depends on the cause of your loss and its severity. One of the simplest treatments is earwax removal, which removes a buildup that’s causing hearing loss. 

Hearing aids are another way to restore hearing. At Texas Ear Clinic, the providers will explain the multiple types of devices and fit you for the most appropriate one.

Certain types of hearing loss can be treated with surgery. For example, if a child has repeated infections that cause a buildup of fluid in the ear, Dr. Cristobal may implant small tubes to help the ears drain more efficiently. 

Cochlear implants fit around parts of the inner ear that don’t stimulate the hearing nerve in a normal fashion. 

The implant consists of an external part that fits behind your ear and picks up and processes sound. It sends the signal to a second part that the doctor implants under your skin, which stimulates the nerve of hearing directly. Thus, unlike hearing aids, a cochlear implant doesn’t amplify sound. It helps the auditory nerve work more effectively and better communicate with the brain.

Hearing through the implant is different from normal hearing, but it can be an effective way to help someone with hearing loss communicate. 

Call Texas Ear Center today or use the online tool to book an appointment to evaluate hearing loss.