With an estimated 7.5 million adults in the UK suffering some form of hearing loss, it is concerning to learn that a new survey shows that over 60 per cent of people who visit their GP because they believe they many not ‘ hear as well as they used to’, are being referred to a specialist.

Incredibly, of this figure, nearly 40 per cent will take no further action or seek help, yet medical experts believe that 3.5 million people require hearing aids!

Of the one in seven of those individuals affected by a hearing impairment, many will be as a result of hearing damage caused by years of exposure to excessive noise levels at their workplace.

Too often, however, the sufferer will mistakenly think their reduced hearing is because of natural aging or simply a build up of ear wax!

It is an understandable but common error to think that any slight or even more noticeable capacity to hear clearly is because of a simple blockage rather than a noise induced hearing loss, which is likely to be of a more permanent nature.

While there are two main types of hearing loss – conductive and sensorineural – it is also possible to have both types present at the same time, which is called a ‘mixed’ hearing loss. However, it is vitally important to confirm between the two conditions as early as possible.

Conductive Hearing Loss – occurs where sounds are unable to pass freely to the inner ear because of a blockage in the outer or middle ear, such as a build-up of excess ear wax or fluid from an ear infection.

Other possible causes are as a result of an abnormality in the structure of the outer ear, ear canal or middle ear, or a ruptured eardrum. Another cause could be as a result of a known condition causing abnormal growth of bone in the middle ear, which prevents the bones in the middle ear from moving freely, causing severe conductive hearing loss.

This type of hearing loss causes sounds to become quieter, although not usually distorted and can either be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause, and often corrected with medical management or minor surgery.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss – a permanent, irreversible condition, caused by damage to the hair cells within the cochlea or the hearing nerve (or both). While occurring naturally as part of the ageing process (known as presbycusis), there are many other contributory or additional causes.

The most common cause is regular and prolonged exposure to excessive sound levels as might be experienced by working alongside noisy factory machinery, equipment or vehicles and producing what is known as industrial deafness.

A short term exposure to a loud sound can cause temporary deafness. Other causes can be some types of drugs used in the treatment of serious diseases such as cancer but also certain types of antibiotics, types of infectious diseases, e.g. Rubella, tumours and head injuries.

A persons’ ability to hear quiet sounds is not only altered, but the quality of the sound heard is also reduced, leaving an increasing struggle to understand speech. Once the cochlea hair cells become damaged, they will remain damaged for the rest of a person’s life.

It is therefore, crucial to immediately seek hearing loss advice if a slight change in hearing is detected and excessive noise levels are suspected, no matter if a considerable period of time has elapsed or symptoms persist.