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Conductive hearing loss can almost always be restored to some degree, if not completely.
- matter in the ear canal can be easily removed with a dramatic improvement in hearing.
- surfer's ear gradually regresses if cold water is avoided or a special ear plug is used. In advanced cases, surgeons can grind away the excess bone.
- middle ear infection with fluid is also simple to treat. If medications do not work, surgical drainage of the ear is accomplished through the ear drum, which heals completely after treatment.
- traumatically damaged ear drums can be repaired with a tiny skin graft.
- surgical repair of otosclerosis through an operating microscope is one of the most intricate of procedures, substituting tiny artificial parts for the original ossicles.
Sensory and neural hearing loss, on the other hand, cannot readily be cured. Fortunately it is not often complete, so that hearing aids can fill the deficit.
In-the-ear hearing aids can boost the volume of sound by up to 70 dB. (Normal speech is about 60 dB.) Federal law now requires that they be dispensed only upon a physician's prescription. For complete conduction hearing loss there are now available bone conduction hearing aids and even devices that can be surgically implanted in the cochlea.
Tinnitus can sometimes be relieved by adding white noise (like the sound of wind or waves crashing on the shore) to the environment.
Decreased hearing is such a common problem that there are legions of organizations to provide assistance. Special language training, both in lip reading and signing, special schools and special camps for children are all available in most regions of the United States.
— J. Ricker Polsdorfer, MD
