{"id":173,"date":"2019-07-03T11:09:50","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T17:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/santafeent.fm1.dev\/hearing-loss\/single-sided-deafness\/"},"modified":"2020-01-09T14:56:50","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T21:56:50","slug":"single-sided-deafness","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/santafeent.com\/ear-hearing\/hearing-health\/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 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 prove less effective. However, alternative options are available for managing single sided deafness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. Other symptoms might include anxiety, stress, social isolation, dizziness, difficulty paying attention and speaking loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n