Hearing Loss Conditions and Diagnoses | Advanced ENT Services
According to the National Institutes of Health, hearing loss affects approximately one in eight people in the U.S. over the age of 12. Hearing loss may be present at birth (congenital or newborn hearing loss) or can occur later in life as a result of noise exposure or disease. Hearing loss isn’t just something you’re born with or develop in the golden years. According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, as many as one in five teens experience some degree of hearing loss.
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Please fill out this brief form to request an appointment.
A representative from WMCHealth Physicians Advanced ENT Services will call you at the phone number you include on this form. We accept most insurances including Medicare and Medicaid; please be sure to ask the practice representative who calls you if we accept your insurance plan. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Hearing Loss Conditions and Diagnoses
Board-certified doctors at WMCHealth Physicians: Advanced ENT Services provide care for an extensive range of conditions relating to hearing loss. Learn more about some of the conditions managed at our many practice locations in the Hudson Valley. Select a hearing loss condition below for more information. (Learn more about surgeries and procedures used to manage or correct hearing loss.)
Treatment of Hearing Loss
WMCHealth Physicians: Advanced ENT Services specializes in the treatment of hearing loss and balance disorders. There are numerous factors that may contribute to and/or cause hearing loss. Obtaining an accurate diagnosis is the first step in determining whether the hearing loss is a temporary or permanent condition, and knowing how to best treat it. Depending upon the cause of the hearing loss, our specialists will create a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Our team will thoroughly explain the options best suitable for your hearing needs. This may include non-surgical and surgical interventions. Non-surgical interventions may include wax removal, hearing aids, and treatment of ear infections. Examples of surgical interventions for hearing loss, which sometimes can be reversed, include repair of a torn (perforated) eardrum, reconstruction of the outer and/or middle ear, and removal of a cholesteatoma. Surgical treatments of more severe permanent hearing loss may include placement of a Cochlear Implant or Bone Anchored hearing aid. Your team of experts will determine which treatment option is best for you.
Autoimmune Hearing Loss
Also referred to as “autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED),” this form of hearing loss was first recognized in 1979. Extremely rare, AIED occurs in fewer than one percent of the 28 million Americans with hearing loss, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This form of hearing loss may occur independently or as a part of other systemic autoimmune disorders (e.g. lupus or rheumatoid arthritis). AIED tends to progress rapidly, which is why it’s important to see a board-certified ENT doctor familiar with diagnosing and managing autoimmune hearing loss.
Conductive Hearing Loss (CHL)
Conductive hearing loss is a form of hearing loss that occurs when sound cannot travel through the outer and middle ear in order to reach the inner ear. Individuals with CHL may have difficulty hearing soft sounds; louder sounds may be dampened. CHL could be caused by fluid in the middle ear, ear infection, eardrum perforation, earwax buildup, a foreign body, broken or fixated ossicles (middle ear bones), otosclerosis, poor Eustachian tube function, or malformation of the outer or middle ear. CHL is often treatable. Speak to your provider at Advanced ENT Services.
Congenital and Newborn Hearing Loss
Approximately two to three out of every 1,000 children born in the U.S. have a detectable level of hearing loss. Congenital (or newborn) hearing loss can affect the development of your child’s speech, language and social skills. Congenital hearing loss is treatable through an ENT physician at Advanced ENT Services.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
Approximately six percent of adults under the age of 70 and as many as 24 percent of all adults in the U.S. have some degree of noise-induced hearing loss. This type of hearing loss can occur as a result of exposure to loud sounds produced by machinery, headphones, concerts and industrial workplaces. Treatments may be available to you through your provider at Advanced ENT Services.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) or Nerve Hearing Loss
Damage to the inner ear may cause sensorineural hearing loss (sometimes referred to as “nerve hearing loss”), the most common form of permanent hearing loss. Many people with SNHL have difficulty hearing soft sounds; loud sounds may be muffled. Hearing aids may help improve SNHL. For individuals with more severe hearing loss, a cochlear implant may be beneficial.
Find an ENT Provider Near You in New York
To see a board-certified ENT doctor at one of our many practice locations in the Hudson Valley, please call 914.693.7636 or request an appointment using the form below.
A representative from WMCHealth Physicians Advanced ENT Services will call you at the phone number you include on this form. We accept most insurances including Medicare and Medicaid; please be sure to ask the practice representative who calls you if we accept your insurance plan. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.