Conductive Hearing Loss

Laura James | Published 29 August 2024 | Updated 02 October 2024 | 6 mins read

Young woman holding her ear while talking to a friend, indicating she may be having difficulty hearing or is trying to listen closely.

There are a few common types of hearing loss. Sometimes they’re due to damage to the hair cells in the ear or the auditory nerve (sensorineural hearing loss), and sometimes when sounds are unable to pass from your outer ear to your inner ear, this is caused by a conductive loss. This type of hearing loss is called conductive hearing loss. It’s important to be familiar with all types of hearing loss so you’re best prepared to recognise the symptoms.

Read to learn about conductive hearing loss, the common symptoms, and what to do if it happens to you or your loved ones.

What is conductive hearing loss?

Conductive hearing loss happens when sound can’t properly travel through the outer and middle ear, usually due to an issue that prevents sound from properly passing through. When this happens, it impacts your hearing organ’s (cochlea) ability to send a clear signal to the brain, resulting in impaired hearing.

Conductive hearing loss can affect one or both ears and is often temporary but can be permanent, depending on the underlying cause. If you suspect that you or someone you love has conductive hearing loss, it’s important to seek hearing health advice.

Conductive vs sensorineural hearing loss – what’s the difference?

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the hair cells inside your ear or damage to the auditory nerve. Unlike conductive hearing loss, it can be caused by a genetic condition and might be present from birth.

The symptoms of conductive hearing loss

There are a number of symptoms of conductive hearing loss. The main symptom of this type of hearing loss is a change in how you perceive sound – you might find that everything is muffled or quieter than usual.

Some other common symptoms include:

Difficulty hearing conversations
Feeling pressure or discomfort in your ears
Trouble understanding people in noisy environments
An inability to distinguish quiet sounds
Noticeable difference in hearing with each ear
Hearing your own voice differently

If you suspect that you’re suffering from conductive hearing, book a free hearing assessment with your local THCP branch.

What causes conductive hearing loss?

Various factors can cause conductive hearing loss and can be easier to identify than other types of hearing loss.

Some common causes include:

Fluid build-up in the middle ear – Fluid can build up behind the eardrum, causing muffled hearing and a full feeling.
Ear infection – drainage or discharge and swelling caused by an ear infection in your ear canal can block sound and cause hearing loss until healed.
A hole in your eardrum – Perforated eardrums happen when a build-up of pressure in the middle ear or foreign object causes a hole or tear in the eardrum. They’re painful and can cause hearing loss.

A patient having ear wax removal appointment.

Earwax accumulation in your ear canal – Excess earwax can build up inside your ear canal. If it’s impacted from use of cotton buds or particularly dry, it can cause blockages which can muffle your hearing.
Swimmer’s ear – Swimmer’s ear is a bacterial infection in your ear canal from excess moisture being trapped (common in swimmers but not only caused by swimming). It’s often itchy and causes swelling which can cause hearing loss.
An object stuck in your outer ear – an obvious blockage, especially in young children, caused by foreign objects getting stuck in the ear canal, can cause hearing loss.
A malformation of the outer or middle ear – A defect with the development of the middle and outer ear is most commonly noted at birth and often seen with defects of the outer ear structure as well.
Damage to the middle ear bones – Trauma and damage to the bones in your middle ear can cause hearing loss.

How is conductive hearing loss treated?

For less severe cases of conductive hearing loss, they can usually be treated with time and will resolve themselves after a few days or weeks. But there are some methods of treatment to help ease other types of conductive hearing loss, some of which are better to try before opting for surgery.

Treatment options include:

Ear cleaning – services such as our ear wax removal can help to dislodge earwax buildup, clearing your ear canals and helping you hear better.
Antibiotics – Ear infections can be painful and cause hearing loss. Treating them with antibiotics is a common way for doctors to treat a severe infection.
Surgery – There are some surgeries that can help to remove growths or malformed areas of your ears to help open them up and ease hearing loss.

Hearing aids – for those who can’t or don’t wish to opt for surgery, hearing aids are a useful tool to help with hearing loss issues. They’re a far cry from the ugly beige models from a couple of decades ago, with plenty of modern features and innovative models to restore your quality of life.

Can conductive hearing loss be prevented?

Many causes of conductive hearing loss can be prevented, although some – such as bone deformities – can’t. The causes that can be prevented are easily managed by taking some basic steps.

Don’t stick foreign objects in your ears – cotton buds and earwax removal tools can cause impacted earwax and damage your hearing. Try not to allow small children to stick things in their ears either.
Seek medical help for illnesses like ear infections – don’t leave ear infections untreated to avoid long-term damage.
Get regular hearing assessments to catch any potential issues as early as possible.

Key takeaways

Hearing loss can be concerning and uncomfortable and can have an impact on your daily life so ensuring you’re taking care of your hearing is vital. Conductive hearing loss is a common cause of hearing loss that is often temporary (although some causes are permanent). Therefore, ensuring you seek immediate medical help for any sudden hearing loss is essential.

Frequently asked questions about conductive hearing loss

Some cases of conductive hearing loss such as earwax buildup, infection, or foreign objects are easily treatable and are often reversible. Some causes, however, give you permanent hearing loss so you should always have your ears checked if you suspect you have hearing loss.

Not all cases of hearing loss are permanent and, in many cases, conductive hearing loss is reversible.

Measles can cause both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This is due to the infection often causing middle ear infections as well as damaging the cochlear (the hearing organ) inside your ear in more serious cases. It usually affects both ears and can cause moderate to profound hearing loss.