Hearing Loss in One Ear

Hearing loss in one ear, also called as unilateral hearing is a type of hearing disorder, in which only one ear functions normally. This is a disorder which is often neglected, both by the person suffering as well as the society. Although, the problem with unilateral hearing may not be as severe as with profound hearing impairment or deafness, it can still affect the quality of life of the person. Hearing loss in one ear can occur in both children and adults. Hearing loss in one ear in children often leads to problems in academic, emotional and social development of the child.

Causes of Hearing Loss in One Ear
There is no single known cause of hearing loss in one ear. Some children are born with unilateral hearing loss while in some, it may result due to complications during pregnancy. In the later life, unilateral hearing loss may occur due to meningitis, high fever, measles, mumps or some other disease. In some cases, it may be due to a heredity, if there has been a history of ear problems in the family. Severe ear infections or impacted ear wax also contribute to hearing loss in one ear.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss in One Ear
When this disorder takes place in adults, the most important symptom is that the person is unable to follow a normal conversation with one ear, but has no problem with the other. The person inadvertently keeps turning his 'good ear' towards the source of sound. Moreover, these people have a problem with localizing sound and the hearing becomes worse in the presence of a background noise. A person with unilateral hearing loss is able to discriminate the speech normally, when the conditions are quiet, but has a problem in noisy conditions. The variations in the speech discrimination depend upon the degree of severity of unilateral hearing loss. The person should immediately consult an audiologist if he shows even the mildest sign of unilateral hearing loss.

Treatment of Hearing Loss in One Ear
Unilateral hearing loss is often accompanied by tinnitus. It is a disorder in which there is constant noise from the impaired ear. This can be extremely frustrating for the person because while he has a problem hearing normal sounds, he has to endure a continuous noise from one ear. The audiologists often try to treat tinnitus first, as it makes the life miserable for the patient. Unfortunately, there is quite a difficulty in understanding and treating tinnitus.

If the hearing loss in one ear in not of severe consequence, then an audiologist may advise the patient to go for a hearing aid. However, cases of profound unilateral hearing loss hardly benefit from hearing aids. The two main forms of hearing aids used in treating unilateral hearing loss are:

CROS Hearing Aid: This instrument captures the sound from the impaired hear and then transmits it to the normal ear.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aid: This instrument transfers the sound by the means of bone conduction and stimulates the cochlea of the normal ear, thereby increasing audibility.

Hearing loss in one ear can often be traumatic to the person, as well as those who live with him. The person has to face problems while using audio instruments such as stereo headphones, VOIP devices etc. Children with this disorder should be trained to rely more on visual assistance than on the auditory.