The gradual loss of hearing that occurs as you age (presbycusis) is a common condition.

Hearing loss happens when there is a problem with one or more parts of the ear or ears. Someone who has hearing loss may be able to hear some sounds or nothing at all. Over time, the wear and tear on your ears from noise contributes to hearing loss by damaging the cochlea, a part of your inner ear. Doctors believe that heredity and chronic exposure to loud noises are the main factors that contribute to hearing loss. Other factors, such as earwax blockage, can prevent your ears from conducting sounds as well as they should.

You can't reverse damage to your inner ear. However, you don't have to live in a world of quieter, less distinct sounds. You and your doctor or hearing specialist (audiologist) can take steps to improve what you hear.

Treatment

If your hearing loss is due to damage to your inner ear, a hearing aid may be helpful. If you can't hear as well as you used to because of earwax blockage, your doctor can remove the wax and improve your hearing. If you have severe hearing loss, a cochlear implant may be an option for you.

Removing wax blockage
Your doctor may remove earwax by:

• Loosening the wax. Your doctor uses an eyedropper to place a few drops of baby oil, mineral oil or glycerin in your ear to loosen the wax, then squirts warm water into your ear using a bulb syringe. As you tilt your ear, the water drains out. Your doctor may need to repeat the process several times before the wax eventually falls out.

• Scooping out the wax. Your doctor may loosen the wax, and then scoop it out with a small instrument called a curette.

• Suctioning out the wax. Your doctor uses a suction device to remove the softened wax.

Hearing aids
An audiologist can discuss with you the potential benefits of using a hearing aid, recommend a device and fit you with it.

Hearing aids can't help everyone with hearing loss, but they can improve hearing for many people. About one in five people with hearing loss uses a hearing aid. The components of a hearing aid include:

• A microphone to gather in the sounds around you

• An amplifier to make sounds louder

• An earpiece to transmit sounds to your ear

• A battery to power the device

The louder sounds help stimulate nerve cells in the cochlea so that you can hear better. Getting used to a hearing aid takes time. The sound you hear is different because it's amplified. You may need to try more than one device to find one that works well for you. Most states have laws requiring a trial period before you buy a hearing aid, making it easier for you to decide if the hearing aid helps.

Hearing aids come in a variety of sizes, shapes and styles. Some hearing aids rest behind your ear with a small tube delivering the amplified sound to the ear canal. Other styles fit in the outer ear or within the ear canal.

Cochlear implants
If your hearing loss is more severe, often due to damage to your inner ear, an electronic device called a cochlear implant may be an option. Unlike a hearing aid that amplifies sound and directs it into your ear canal, a cochlear implant compensates for damaged or nonworking parts of your inner ear. If you're considering a cochlear implant, your audiologist, along with a medical doctor who specializes in disorders of the ears, nose and throat (ENT), will likely discuss the risks and benefits with you.

A microphone (1) picks up sounds. The sounds travel through a thin cable to a speech processor (2). You can wear the processor on a belt or in a pocket. Newer models are worn behind the ear. The ...Newer cochlear implants use an externally worn computerized speech processor that you can conceal behind your ear. The speech processor sends signals to a surgically implanted electronic chip that ...