Sensorineural hearing loss
Sensorineural hearing loss happens when the tiny hair cells inside your inner ear, or the hearing nerve itself, become damaged. It is the most common form of permanent hearing loss. It generally cannot be reversed, but hearing aids can help a great deal.
Usually time, noise, or a mix of both.
The most common cause of gradual sensorineural hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss.
Repeated or loud noise exposure over time can damage the inner ear. Noise-induced hearing loss.
Some people are simply more genetically predisposed to this type of hearing loss.
Certain infections, head injuries or medications can also play a part.
Signs of sensorineural hearing loss.
A gradual fading and blurring, rather than a blocked feeling. Tick the ones you recognise.
For gradual sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids are usually the most effective way to hear better day to day, amplifying and clarifying sound to make up for the damage. Free demo after your test, no pressure either way.
Your options with us.
Everything you need after a diagnosis, in one place.
From nearly invisible to fully rechargeable, there is a style for most lifestyles and levels of hearing loss.
See hearing aid typesOticon, ReSound, Phonak and Starkey. We are independent, so we fit whichever is genuinely right for you.
See our brandsFive tiers with no hidden costs, from Essential through to Platinum. Custom styles at no extra charge.
See hearing aid pricesA real demo after your hearing test, and a 60 day money back guarantee either way.
See hearing aid fittingsGradual sensorineural loss is common. Sudden loss is treated very differently. If your hearing loss came on suddenly, over hours or a few days, contact your GP urgently, call NHS 111, or go to A&E if you cannot get seen quickly any other way. Getting seen within 72 hours genuinely improves the chances of recovery. Please do not wait for a routine hearing test with us.
In our clinic, or in your home.
Same audiologists, same equipment, same full assessment. You choose where.
The full assessment at our Birmingham clinic, completely free, no obligation.
- 60 minutes, results before you leave
- Evening and weekend appointments
- Bring someone, they are tested free too
The same full test, brought to your living room, tuned to real life: your TV, your phone, your front door.
- Same audiologists, in the comfort of your home
- Whoever is with you is tested free
- Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and more
Common questions.
Treat it as an emergency. Sudden hearing loss in one ear needs to be seen straight away, because treatment works best in the first few days. Contact your GP, call 111, or go to an urgent care centre now. Do not wait for a hearing test appointment.
No. The damage is inside the ear or to the hearing nerve, and it does not repair. Hearing aids do not mend it either, but they make a real difference to how well you hear, which is why they are the usual answer.
No. A hearing aid set up properly for your hearing gives you a controlled amount of sound, nowhere near enough to cause damage. People think otherwise because once you are used to hearing well, taking them out feels much worse than it did before.
Because this type of hearing loss costs you clarity as well as volume. Turning everything up does not separate one voice from five. This is the biggest difference between the price levels, so if noisy rooms are your main problem, tell us and we will build the recommendation around it.
Partly, for some people. Your genes affect how easily your ears are damaged by age and by noise. It is a good reason to get a test if hearing loss runs in your family.
Not always, but the two often go together, and the ringing is often the first thing people notice. Ringing can also have causes we can treat, so it is worth a proper test rather than assuming. Where it comes with hearing loss, treating the hearing loss often makes the ringing less noticeable.