Understanding deafness
What is deafness?
Deafness happens when one or more parts of the ear are not working in the same way as hearing people's ears. This means that the person can not hear sound clearly, or hear at all.
Conductive deafness
This happens when sound cannot pass easily through the ear to the cochlea. The cochlea is a part of your inner ear. It's shaped like a spiral and full of fluid and tiny hairs. It helps sound waves move through your ear.
Some people with conductive deafness were born without some parts of their ear. This makes it harder for the sound to reach the cochlea.
Other people with conductive deafness have something blocking their ears. This is usually temporary - it only happens for a short time.
Lots of children have temporary conductive deafness because of a condition called glue ear. This is when their middle ear becomes blocked by fluid. The fluid stops sound moving through their ear and they can't hear clearly.
Glue ear often gets better on its own, but some children have to have an operation.
Sensorineural deafness
This is also called nerve deafness. It happens when parts of the inner ear, like the hairs in the cochlea or the hearing nerve, don't work the same as other people's ears.
Sensorineural deafness is usually permanent - this means it is forever.
People may be deaf for lots of different reasons.
Some people are born deaf. Their deafness could be genetic (passed down through their family) or caused by being born very early. Some people become deaf if their mum gets an infection before they are born. Sometimes doctors don't know why someone is born deaf.
Other people become deaf later. This may be when they are still children or when they are adults. It could be because they get an illness like meningitis, measles or mumps. Some medicines to treat serious health problems can cause deafness too.
Adults may also become deaf if they spend too much time around loud noises, or if they have a head injury. Hearing loss can also be part of getting older.
Every deaf person has a different level of hearing. While it's different for every deaf person, audiologists have names for levels of deafness.
Knowing your level of deafness can help explain how your deafness affects you and the support and accommodations you may find useful.
An audiologist can give you a test to find out your level of deafness.
Mild deafness
You can hear everything people say to you in a quiet room without hearing aids. But if there's lots of noise, or if the person speaking is far away or whispering, you might find it hard to hear.
Moderate deafness
You can hear a baby’s cry or when someone talks to you in a quiet room without hearing aids. If there's lots of noise, or the person speaking is far away, then you might find it harder to hear.
Severe deafness
You can’t hear someone speaking to you without hearing aids, but you might be able to hear loud sounds like a dog barking or drums.
Profound deafness
You can’t hear someone talking to you without hearing aids, but you may sometimes hear or feel very loud sounds, like lorries passing in the street.
Total deafness
Sometimes, but not very often, people may be born without any hearing at all. They can not hear any sounds, even when using hearing aids.