Unilateral hearing loss is hearing loss in one ear. People with unilateral hearing loss can hear normally in the ear that is not affected. The hearing loss in the ear with impaired hearing can be mild to complete deafness. If the person is completely deaf in the effected ear, the condition may be referred to as single-sided deafness.
Symptoms of unilateral hearing loss are difficulty identifying the source of sounds and trouble understanding speech or sounds when background noise is present. People with unilateral hearing loss may not be able to hear sounds that are close to their ear with the hearing impairment even though they have normal hearing in the other ear.
The hearing impairment may be present at birth or develop at any age. Unilateral hearing loss may develop suddenly or gradually. The common causes of unilateral hearing loss are certain genetic conditions, infection, injury, or disease. The growth of noncancerous tumors in the ear may cause unilateral hearing loss. Temporal bone fractures can cause unilateral hearing loss.
For diagnosing hearing loss, the doctor may ask a series of questions to determine the onset and potential causes for the hearing loss. The physician may conduct hearing tests to check for hearing loss and try to determine the degree of hearing loss. The whisper test is a simple test during which the physician may whisper words or numbers behind the patient’s back and ask the patient to repeat them. The physician may perform a test using a tuning fork or an audiometry test that uses an electronic device that creates sounds of different frequencies. If a hearing loss is detected, the physician may refer the patient to a specialist for a more detailed evaluation.
Though many people with unilateral hearing loss could benefit with the use of a hearing aid in the ear with hearing loss, many of those with this type of hearing loss cope by relying on their ear that has normal hearing. They may turn their heads to hear things with their “good” ear. Friends and family may know they have to speak within close proximity to the person’s good ear.