Unilateral hearing loss

The signs of hearing loss in one ear can be similar to bilateral hearing loss (having to turn TV or radio volume up, asking people to repeat themselves, etc.), but there are a few unique symptoms to look for as well:

• Difficulty hearing in loud places

When you’re somewhere crowded or noisy, a lot of sounds are coming at your ears all at once. In binaural (both sides) hearing, your ears work together to prioritize the important sounds over the background noise. Without both ears, it’s harder to “separate” the sounds you’re hearing and focus on the things you actually want to hear.¹

• Having a hard time with “sound localization”

Sound localization is the ability to pinpoint where sound is coming from. When both ears process sound, the information they send to the brain takes into account a lot of factors including, for example, the intensity of sound coming from either ear. If a sound source is closer to one ear than the other, it’s more intense, and that helps the brain identify where it’s coming from. When you’re only hearing out of one ear, the information your brain receives is incomplete, so it’s harder to tell where the sound source is located.²

• Mishearing high-frequency sounds

Your head can become an obstacle to hearing when you have unilateral hearing loss, due to something called the head shadow effect. Say a sound is coming from your right — the right ear will receive those soundwaves first, but your head blocks them from reaching the left ear.  Your left ear ends up in the “shadow” because the strength of the soundwaves lessens as they travel around your head. High-frequency sounds lose intensity first, so you may have a harder time hearing them.

• Tinnitus

The perception of ringing, buzzing or other sounds with no source, known as tinnitus, is common among people with unilateral hearing loss. As many as 54%-85% of people with SSD experience tinnitus that interrupts their life.³ Tinnitus is often linked to damage to the inner ear, causing “misfire” signals to go to the brain, which interprets the signals as sound. If your unilateral hearing loss is caused by that kind of inner ear damage, it could also be the source of your tinnitus.

• Trouble with gauging volume

In normal hearing, the signals going from both ears also tell the brain how loud a sound is. With one less ear sending a signal, your brain has a harder time perceiving the actual volume. The head shadow effect can also play a role in this, as the head partially blocks and reduces the sound reaching one of the ears.

Causes of hearing loss in one ear can include:

• Congenital issues

Your anatomy, genetic issues or inherited conditions can cause unilateral hearing loss that’s either present from birth or develops over time.

• Trauma

Head or ear injuries can damage the inner ear and cause hearing loss in one ear.

• Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)

Regular exposure to loud noise can cause hearing damage over time. This is known as noise-induced hearing loss and can be linked to anything from job-related noise to improper use of headphones or earbuds. 

• Disease, infection or medical conditions

Certain diseases, such as Meniere’s disease, as well as a range of viral or bacterial infections can also cause unilateral hearing loss.

Treatment for hearing loss in one ear will depend on the underlying reasons for the hearing loss. For instance, if the hearing loss is due to an infection, treating the infection will be the first step. Whether or not the hearing loss is permanent also helps determine the best treatment. For permanent unilateral hearing loss, hearing aids can be a treatment solution. However, the type of hearing aids that should be used will depend on the severity of the hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe, profound).

For mild or moderate hearing loss, a standard hearing aid can help equalize the hearing in your affected ear. For severe to profound hearing loss, other solutions such as CROS, BiCROS or bone-anchored hearing aids* .

• Hearing aids

Standard hearing aids can amplify mild to moderate hearing loss to help bring it in line with your hearing ear. Because of the complexities of unilateral hearing loss, it’s best to work with a hearing care professional to find the right hearing aid solution, rather than buying over the counter.

• Contralateral routing of sound (CROS) hearing aids

Best for people with full hearing in one ear and hearing loss in the other, CROS hearing aid systems route the sounds that would be coming to the non-hearing ear to the hearing ear. With CROS systems, you wear devices in both ears — a transmitter in the non-hearing ear and a receiver in the hearing ear. There is a limit to the sound quality that these hearing systems can deliver. They will not mimic or restore the “stereo” sound that you would have with natural hearing and your ability to localize sound will still be limited.

• Bilateral contralateral routing of sound (BiCROS) hearing aids

BiCROS hearing aids are similar to CROS, but they are intended for people who have severe to profound hearing loss in one ear and mild to moderate hearing loss in the other. The device in the hearing ear amplifies sound (acting like a regular hearing aid), but it also receives sound from the transmitter worn in the non-hearing ear.

• Bone-anchored hearing aids

For people with severe to profound unilateral hearing loss who don’t benefit from traditional hearing aids, this surgically implanted solution is worth considering. A tiny device is implanted in the bone behind the ear (the mastoid), and a processor is then attached on the side of the head (externally). The processor and implant send vibrations from soundwaves through the bone to your inner ear and the nerve that sends hearing signals to your brain.

*Miracle-Ear does not provide CROS, BiCROS  or bone-anchored hearing aids.