quencies and good bone-conduction, a diagnosis of conductive hearing loss would most likely be in order. How to treat this type of hearing loss depends on its cause. Excessive wax should be removed from the ear; the same treatment is of course recommended for any foreign objects. (Foreign objects' interfering with hearing may be an especial problem with children, who seem to delight in introducing forbidden objects into their ears.) Congenital deformities or the bone fusion resulting from otosclerosis may require surgery. Conductive hearing loss due to enlarged tonsils or adenoids, middle-ear fluid or tumors of the auditory nerve may also require surgical intervention.
Given Mr. Brown's age, it seems likely that his difficulty may well be a conductive hearing loss since he is not yet old enough to be considered an obvious candidate for age-induced hearing loss or presbycusis. However, if he is consistently bombarded with loud noises – ranging in origin from rock bands to industrial machinery – he may well be suffering the same kind of hearing loss associated with aging, or sensorineural hearing loss. Such hearing loss may also result from interactions with certain medicines, including streptomycin and quinine.
A sensorineural hearing loss is caused by an impairment of the inner ear and – unlike conductive hearing loss – can only rarely be ameliorated through medical treatment. Sensorineural hearing loss is characterized by loss in both loudness and clarity Emerick 145).
In evaluating Mr. Brown for sensorineural hearing loss, an audiologist or other clinician would interview him about his own perceptions of his hearing. People experiencing sensorineural hearing loss often find themselves unable to follow conversations well. They frequently turn up televisions and radios louder then other people find comfortable and may find themselves withdrawing from accustomed social situations because they feel that they cannot partic...