Hearing Loss
Hearing loss ranges from mild difficulty following conversation to complete deafness in one or both ears. The inner ear, the auditory nerve, and the brain’s processing centres can all be involved, which is why causes and treatments differ widely.
Key takeaways
- Sudden hearing loss in one ear is time-sensitive even when there is no pain.
- Earwax, middle-ear disease, inner-ear damage and nerve problems require different tests and treatments.
- Medicines have a limited role; hearing devices, surgery or communication support may be more relevant.
A medicine listing cannot locate the cause of hearing loss; ear examination and hearing tests are needed before treatment decisions.
How is hearing loss assessed?
Examination can identify wax, infection or eardrum problems. Audiometry shows the pattern and severity; asymmetry or neurological signs may require specialist testing. Noise exposure, current medicines, tinnitus, vertigo and family history provide useful clues.
When can medicine help?
Medicine may treat an underlying infection, inflammation or selected inner-ear symptoms, but it does not reverse age- or noise-related sensory loss. Betahistine is used for vertigo associated with Ménière’s disease in some settings; it is not a general hearing-restoration medicine. See neurology for related context.
When to seek urgent care
Seek same-day specialist or emergency assessment for sudden hearing loss, especially in one ear. Immediate care is also needed after a head injury or when hearing loss occurs with facial weakness, severe vertigo, new neurological symptoms, discharge with severe pain or a foreign object in the ear.