{"id":267,"date":"2020-02-24T16:24:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T22:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chsstl.fm1.dev\/hearing-loss\/single-sided-deafness\/"},"modified":"2020-11-10T17:59:37","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T23:59:37","slug":"single-sided-deafness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chsstl.org\/hearing\/hearing-loss\/single-sided-deafness\/","title":{"rendered":"Single Sided Deafness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Single sided deafness (SSD), sometimes referred to as unilateral hearing loss, is a condition in which an individual experiences total hearing loss in only one ear but can hear normally out of the other ear. While the majority of patients with a hearing impairment suffer from bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss, SSD is diagnosed in approximately 60,000 people in the United States each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no cure, and treatment can be a challenge because traditional amplification devices<\/a> prove less effective. However, alternative options are available for managing single sided deafness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Single Sided Deafness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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SSD can be caused by a variety of factors. One of the most common causes is acoustic neuroma, a benign, slow growing tumor that can push against the auditory nerve and affect the ability to hear properly in one ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudden deafness \u2013 a rapid onset of hearing loss that occurs with little or no warning, often following a viral infection \u2013 is another condition commonly associated with SSD. Patients may fall victim to sudden deafness as a result of an inflammation in the cochlea that causes permanent damage to the hair cells responsible for hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional causes of SSD include trauma to the head, genetic disorders, Meniere\u2019s disease, labyrinthitis, microtia, mastoiditis and even common childhood diseases such as measles and mumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients with SSD find understanding speech in the presence of background noise especially problematic and have great difficulty localizing sound (recognizing the location or origin of a sound source). Sound localization depends on subtle hearing cues from two ears; removing one from the equation confuses the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treatments for SSD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While there is no cure for single sided deafness, options exist for helping patients cope with unilateral hearing. Traditional hearing aids don\u2019t offer much help to those suffering from SSD, but Contralateral Routing of Signal (CROS) hearing aids<\/a> can improve hearing and localization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They utilize a microphone that is placed in the vicinity of the impaired ear and an amplifier near the normal ear. The microphone picks up sounds and transmits them to the patient\u2019s \u201cgood\u201d ear. A similar device known as BICROS is suitable for individuals with some degree of hearing loss in one ear and total deafness in the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option is a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid<\/a> (BAHA). This is a two-part device that is used on the ear with the hearing loss. One piece, the abutment, is surgically implanted into the mastoid bone of the skull near the ear. Another piece, the sound processor, attaches to abutment on the outside and picks up the sounds in the environment. The device uses direct bone conduction to transmit sounds by vibrations from the affected ear to the normal one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call the Center for Hearing & Speech at (314) 968-4710<\/a> for more information or to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Single sided deafness (SSD), sometimes referred to as unilateral hearing loss, is a condition in which an individual experiences total hearing loss in only one ear but can hear normally out of the other ear. While the majority of patients with a hearing impairment suffer from bilateral (two-sided) hearing loss, SSD is diagnosed in approximately…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":263,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"(314) 968-4710 | Single-sided deafness causes unique issues, and cannot always be treated with traditional hearing aids. Learn the signs. Get evaluated.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"