Treatments for Hearing Loss

Treatments for hearing loss the gamut from low to high-tech. Whether you're researching treatments for hearing loss caused by aging or trauma, you have several options, especially when it comes to hearing aids.

Treatments for Hearing Loss

Clearing Wax Build-Up
An excess build-up of earwax can block the ear canal and reduce your level of hearing. Your doctor can use warm water and oil to loosen the wax, scoop out the wax or suction out the wax to improve your condition.

Medication
If you have an ear infection or a disease that's causing your hearing loss, a simple prescription can clear up the problem. Similarly, autoimmune problems can cause hearing loss, which is treated with corticosteroid meds.

Hearing Aids
Hearing aids amplify sounds, making them loud enough for you to hear. While this doesn't treat your hearing loss, it can improve your ability to hear. Hearing aids range from sound altering devices to listening devices. Before deciding on one particular hearing aid, you should try out a few different types to see which one works best for you. Sometimes hearing loss only affects higher frequencies, for example, so they need an aid that only amplifies those frequencies.

Cochlear Implants
For moderate to severe hearing loss from inner ear damage, an electronic device can be implanted. This type of device is different from a traditional hearing aid. While hearing aids amplify outside sounds, the cochlear implant compensates for whatever is lacking function in your inner ear.

Surgery
Some kinds of ear trauma can be repaired with surgery such as a perforation of the eardrum or mastoiditis, an infection of the bone behind the ear.