Understanding the different types of hearing loss is crucial as it influences what treatment options are available. Depending on the severity and type of hearing loss there are different solutions.
Hørenedsættelse forekommer i flere grader, men de fleste tilfælde kategoriseres som mild eller moderat. En høretest hos en specialist er den eneste måde, du kan få målt omfanget af din hørenedsættelse på og finde ud af, hvordan den bedst behandles.
There are three categories commonly used to define the type of hearing loss someone may have. These categories are determined by identifying the part of the ear where the problem comes from:
To learn more about how the different types of hearing loss are obtained please refer to our section on causes of hearing loss.
Degrees of hearing loss are categorized from hearing thresholds as mild, moderate, severe or profound. Having your hearing professionally tested is the only way to determine the extent of your hearing loss, and how best to treat it.
Mild hearing loss
Soft noises are not heard. Understanding speech is difficult in a loud environment.
Moderate hearing loss
Soft and moderately loud noises are not heard. Understanding speech becomes very difficult with background noise.
Severe hearing loss
Conversations have to be conducted loudly. Group conversations require a lot of effort.
Profound hearing loss
Some very loud noises are heard. Without a hearing aid, communication is no longer possible even with intense effort.
Hearing loss in one ear
Hearing loss is also defined by whether one ear is affected (unilateral hearing loss) or both (bilateral hearing loss). This distinction is especially important because there are specific solutions for single-sided hearing loss which are not available to a person with bilateral hearing loss.
Congenital vs. acquired hearing loss
The cause of hearing loss can be categorized into congenital (hearing loss present at birth) or acquired (hearing loss present soon after birth).
Let hørenedsættelse
Svage lyde høres ikke. Det er vanskeligt at forstå tale i støjende omgivelser.
Moderat hørenedsættelse
Svage og moderat høje lyde høres ikke. Det er meget vanskeligt at forstå tale, når der er baggrundsstøj.
Kraftig hørenedsættelse
Samtaler skal føres med høj lydstyrke. Det er meget vanskeligt at følge med i gruppesamtaler.
Svær hørenedsættelse
Nogle meget kraftige lyde høres. Uden høreapparat er kommunikation ikke længere mulig, heller ikke med stor anstrengelse