preview

The Ear And Hearing Loss Essay

Good Essays

The Ear and Hearing Loss

The ear is the organ of hearing and balance in vertebrates. The ear converts sound waves in the air, to nerve impulses which are sent to the brain, where the brain interprets them as sounds instead of vibrations. The innermost part of the ear maintains equilibrium or balance. The vestibular apparatus contains semicircular canals which in turn balance you. Any movement by the head, and this apparatus sends a signal to the brain so that your reflex action is to move your foot to balance you.
The ear in humans consist three parts: The outer, the middle, and the inner portions. The outer ear, or pinna, is the structure that we call the ear.
It is the skin covered flap of elastic …show more content…

In conductive hearing loss, sound intensity is reduced, but sound isn't distorted.
Sensorineural hearing loss is more resistant to therapy because it involves damage to the delicate sensory cells of the organ of Corti, which is located in the cochlea. Sensorineural hearing loss has to do with both distortion of sound and loss of sound intensity. The closer the damaged tissue is to the auditory cortex, the more complex and subtle are the types of distortions. The hair cells of the organ of Corti cannot grow once they are damaged. Sensorineural hearing loss is rarely reversible.
The hearing losses caused by salicylates such as asprin and the early stages of Meniere's Disease are reversible, however. The latter condition is characterized by an imbalance of fluid pressures within the inner ear. If this imbalance is correct soon enough, before hair cell destruction has occurred, hearing will return to its normal level. Sensorineural hearing loss is often accompanied by ear noise, or tinnitus, which is a high-pitched ringing heard only by the patient. Because the inner ear has no pain fibers, damage is not accompanied by pain.
Hearing loss is usually measured by an instrument called an audiometer which measures the weakest intensity at which a person can hear at most frequencies in the range of human hearing. The instrument is calibrated against the lowest intensity heard by

Get Access