Types of Hearing Loss

There are two levels of hearing loss: mild-to-moderate and severe-to-profound. We hear sounds with tiny nerves called hair cells located in our inner ears. Our outer hair cells help us hear soft sounds, and our inner hair cells help us hear high- and low-pitched sounds.

People with mild-to-moderate hearing loss have lost some outer hair cells and have trouble understanding softer sounds, such as the voices of women and children. People with severe hearing loss have lost both inner and outer hair cells, making it harder to hear soft sounds as well as distinguish between high- and low-pitched sounds.