Hearing Loss Defined
- any decreased ability to take in sound
- often described by 3 characteristics:
- Type of hearing loss
- what part of the ear, or auditory system, is affected
- Degree of hearing loss
- Configuration of hearing loss
- the overall picture of the hearing loss
- what frequencies (Hz) are affected
- how many ears are affected
- when or how the hearing loss occurs
- if the hearing loss changes or remains the same
A number of organizations provide more complete information on hearing loss.