Diagnosing Hidden Hearing Loss

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At a Glance:

• Researchers developed a method, based on word recognition, to estimate the loss of nerve functioning in the inner ear.
• With further development, the method could be used in hearing exams to determine whether hearing problems are due to nerve fiber loss.

One in eight people nationwide lives with hearing loss in both ears. A common cause of hearing loss is damage to the hair cells found in the inner ear. These cells detect sound waves and communicate with the cochlear nerve, which routes sound information to the brain. Loud noise, aging, and some medications can all potentially cause the loss of these delicate hair cells.

Standard hearing tests measure how well people detect certain frequencies of sound. Yet some people who have normal results on standard hearing tests may still struggle to follow a conversation in noisy environments. This type of hearing loss is sometimes called “hidden hearing loss” because it isn’t readily detected using common tests of hearing.