What is hearing loss?
The term hearing loss encompasses the following terms:
- Hearing Impairment
- Deafness
- Deafened
- Partially deaf
- Hard of hearing
In this guidance, “hearing impairment” and “hearing loss” are synonymous.
The term “deafened” refers to people with hearing impairment due to accident, disease or toxic effects.
Anatomy of the ear
Figure 1 - Anatomy of the ear
Anatomically, the ear is divided into three parts, the outer, middle and inner ear.
The outer ear consists of the trumpet shaped auricle or pinna and the external auditory meatus (outer ear canal), which together funnels sound to the middle ear. The middle ear is separated from the outer ear by the eardrum or tympanic membrane. It is an air filled cavity in the temporal bone of the skull, connected to the throat through the Eustachian tube. The three auditory ossicles, malleus, incus and stapes are small bones that provide a mechanical link between the tympanic membrane and inner ear. The inner ear is divided into the organ of balance (vestibular labyrinth) and the organ of hearing (the cochlea). This contains the Organ of Corti and its thousands of sensory hair nerve cells. The nerve of hearing or auditory nerve passes to the brain from the inner ear.
- How you hear
- Causes of hearing loss
- Prevalence of Hearing impairment
- Ménière's disease
- Visual impairment deeming provisions
- Anxiety/Agoraphobia and deafness
Amended April 2011
