Do you struggle to hear clearly, experience bouts of vertigo, or constantly have ringing in your ears? If so, board-certified otolaryngologist Gerald Suh, MD and our audiologists, Julie McNicholas, Au.D., and Lauren Michler, M.A., at Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, can help. The team has extensive experience in diagnosing, assessing, and treating hearing loss so you can enjoy clearer hearing. Call the Princeton, New Jersey, office to find out more or book an appointment using the online tool.

Hearing Loss

What causes hearing loss?

There are two principal forms of hearing loss:

Conductive hearing loss

Conductive hearing loss develops if sound waves can’t get from your outer ear to the bones in your middle ear and your eardrum. It can be due to:

• Ear infections
• Allergies
• Swimmer’s ear 
• Wax build-up
• A foreign object stuck in your ear
• Benign tumors
• Scarring of the ear canal

Conductive hearing loss makes soft and muffled sounds hard to hear.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)

SNHL is typically permanent, occurring because of damage to structures in your inner ear or the nerve pathways sending messages to your brain. SNHL can be a result of:

• Congenital abnormalities that alter the ear’s structure
• The effects of aging
• Working around loud noises
• Head trauma
• Meniere’s disease
• Acoustic neuroma
• Infections like measles, meningitis, mumps, and scarlet fever

You can also have both conductive hearing loss and SNHL at the same time, which is known as mixed hearing loss.

When should I get tested for hearing loss?

If you lose your hearing suddenly, it’s clear that something’s wrong, and you need a hearing test. However, in many cases, hearing loss happens slowly, gradually worsening over the months and years.

This deterioration in your hearing might not be obvious until it starts having a noticeable impact on your life. Regular hearing tests can pick up hearing loss at an early stage, so you don’t reach the point of being unable to hear anything in a crowded room or having to turn the television up full blast.

Your hearing loss might be a symptom of a disorder that needs treating, like an ear infection. You could have other symptoms as well as hearing loss, such as tinnitus (noises or ringing in your ears), vertigo, and balance problems. 

Finding out what’s causing your hearing loss by visiting Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, is the best way to get the treatment you need.

How is hearing loss treated?

Treatment for hearing loss varies depending on what’s causing the problem. A sudden loss of hearing because of an ear infection might just require a course of antibiotics, or you may have a wax plug that needs extracting.

Conductive hearing loss is often treatable using a cochlear implant, which is a small electrical device that goes under the skin behind your ear. The implant translates the vibrations sound makes into electrical signals that your brain can understand.

If you have sensorineural hearing loss, Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, can help with their range of hearing aids. The team offers hearing tests and balance testing services to determine what kind of treatment or hearing aid you need.

They also help you learn how to use and look after your hearing aids and offer maintenance and repair services. From adjusting the volume settings to changing the battery, replacing the tubing, or removing ear wax blockages, Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, can help.

If you’re concerned about hearing loss, call Princeton ENT and Sleep, LLC, today or book an appointment online.