Hearing is one of the most vital senses we have, and exclusive of it, life can never be the same. Individuals who are unable to hear will always have a problem to communicate effectively with the people around them. Conductive hearing loss is the most common hearing problem in children. This type of hearing problem begins in childhood, even though it can show up at any age. The hearing problem occurs when the sound transmission through the middle ear is blocked (Haberman, 2004). Therefore, sound cannot be efficiently passed through the outer ear to the middle ear. A child with conductive hearing loss cannot hear well, their sound level is reduced and thus, they only hear faint sounds. A conductive hearing loss can happen to both ears and can be enduring or just a temporary problem. Therefore, parents should seek a doctor’s intervention if they have any concerns about their child’s hearing. Conductive hearing loss is preventable and treatable; therefore, parents can save their children from this condition.
The hearing loss problem can be a combination of either congenital factors or acquired factors. Therefore, conductive hearing loss is also caused by the above factors, but the most common causes being ear infections and wax in the ears. One of the causes of conductive hearing loss is physical abnormalities during birth, for instance, the outer ear, or the middle ears are malformed. In addition, conductive hearing loss can be caused when a parent/caregiver does not clean a child’s ears, and it becomes full of wax. In addition, it is caused by fluids stuck in a child’s middle ear due to colds. Conductive hearing loss is also caused by otitis media (Ear infection), and allergies in the ear (Baloh and Jen, 2011). Likewise, it can also be caused by foreign objects that are stuck in the stuck in the ear canal.
Conductive hearing loss is preventable if the parents take good care of their children. Children need good prenatal care from their parents since this is the time many of them develop conductive hearing loss. Moreover, parents should flush out the wax that builds up in a child’s ears with the right equipments. Furthermore, while removing the foreign objects, they should take care because they can also cause conductive hearing loss to their children if they damage the inner ear in the process. In addition, this problem is preventable if a child gets proper treatment and a follow-up check up for the middle ear infections (Haberman, 2004). At times, many parents tend to ignore their children’s treatment plans in addition to not taking them for ear check ups in their development stage. Parents or caregivers should avoid exposing the children to loud noise because; the damage caused to their ears can be irreversible. For instance, children should not be exposed to noises from loud music, lawn mowers, hair dryers, farm equipment, and even firearms in their developmental stage because it affects their middle ear. Conductive hearing loss leads to the loss of volume, and this makes it difficult for the patient to hear anything, therefore, in order to save a child’s hearing sense, it should be prevented.
Parents should seek medical attention for their children if they notice any signs of a hearing problem. A child with conductive hearing loss experiences difficulties in hearing, since the speech will always sound faint to them. In addition, some of them experience symptoms such as pain in their ears, along with not hearing (Baloh and Jen, 2011). When these signs are experienced, hearing aids can help but not when the problem is extreme. Children with a conductive hearing loss experience difficulties in following conversations in a group as well as in noisy places. These are signs, if noticed; the health professionals help should be sought.
Conductive hearing loss is treatable in different ways, depending on the circumstance that caused the hearing problem; it can either be medically or surgically. First, parents should make sure that, their children undergo a full developmental, language and speech evaluation before the treatment is administered. When parents take goof care of their children in their developmental stage, treating a hearing loss problem can be easier as the child’s hearing is monitored. If the problem is extreme, or a child was born with the malformation of the ears, surgery can also be considered. If the ear formations cannot be corrected, hearing aids that can amplify sound are a possible treatment. For children with wax in their ears, it can be removed with the use of syringes and drops. Additionally, surgery can be used to drain up fluids that have built up in the ears. However, if the hearing problem persists, hearing aids are given in order to facilitate the sound (Tos, 2000).
In conclusion, conductive hearing loss is a problem that occurs when the sound waves are not properly passed to the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss leads to blockage or damage of the middle ear as well as the loss of loudness. This hearing loss affects how sound is passed through to the inner ear and the entire auditory system. Conductive hearing loss prevent sound from being passed to the middle ear, but the good this is that it is preventable and treatable depending on the circumstances of its causes. It can either be treated medically or surgically.
References
Haberman, R. (2004). Middle Ear and Mastoid Surgery. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.
Baloh, R.W. and Jen, J. (2011). Hearing and equilibrium. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman's Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier.
Tos, M. (2000). Surgical Solutions for Conductive Hearing Loss: Man Middle Ear Surgery. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.
