UNTREATED HEARING LOSS In order to hear, sounds enter the ear and are then sent to the brain, where those sounds are decoded and understood. As our hearing becomes diminished, certain sounds and environmental signals are no longer transferred to the brain. Over time, as our brain is deprived of these auditory signals, it “forgets” these sounds. This is called auditory deprivation. The longer the brain is deprived of sounds, the more difficult it is to re-train to understand those sounds that we haven’t heard in years. For this reason, those with untreated hearing loss over a period of years generally have more difficulty and take longer to adapt to hearing instruments. This is because the brain takes longer to be “re-trained”. In some cases our ability to decode and understand sounds that we haven’t heard in many years is lost forever. While the most common hearing loss is a gradual onset of nerve loss, there are many other causes of hearing impairment. Hearing loss can also be caused by inner ear tumors (acoustic neuroma), calcification or freezing up of the middle ear bones, certain medications (ototoxic) and other serious conditions. Some of these may require surgery to correct. It is important to have a sense of urgency when you realize that hearing loss may be present. Any sign of hearing loss should be evaluated by your hearing care professional or a physician. Early treatment of hearing loss can result in better hearing results. BACK TO BETTER HEARING