Hearing Loss

Hearing loss, impairment or deafness may be of two major types: one that develops some time in life, one that a baby is born with – or congenital deafness. Most commonly, hearing loss is seen with age or is caused by exposure to loud noises.

What is hearing loss?

More than 10 million people in the United Kingdom have some form of hearing loss. Of these about 688,000 are severely or profoundly deaf.

Newborn Hearing Screening

Causes of Hearing Loss

Conductive Hearing Loss

Treatment of hearing loss

What is Safe Listening?

Hearing Loss Research

Preventing Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL)

Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL) / Presbycusis

Types of Hearing Loss

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Hearing Loss

See more featured articles »

Dealing with Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss and Genetics

Recent Developments in Hearing Technology

Latest Hearing Loss News and Research

Brighter daytime light is linked to a lower dementia risk

The study finds that greater exposure to daytime light may lower dementia risk, pointing to light's role in enhancing circadian rhythms and cognitive function.

29 Jun 2026

Hearing aids may lower dementia risk in adults with epilepsy and hearing loss

Adults with both epilepsy and hearing loss who use hearing aids may have a 23% lower risk of developing dementia than those who do not, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.

26 Jun 2026

NIH funds University of Minnesota research on congenital cytomegalovirus infection

A University of Minnesota Medical School research team has received a new 5-year, $3.87 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate how the immune system protects against congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

23 Jun 2026

Poll reveals gaps in brain health awareness among older adults

Nearly all Michiganders age 50 and over say it's very important to keep their brains healthy as they grow older, a new poll finds.

18 Jun 2026

Genetic screening of LOXHD1 variants guides early hearing loss intervention

Hearing loss is a common cause of disability worldwide, with anywhere between 30-60% of cases being caused by genetic factors. LOXHD1 is a gene integral to essential protein interactions responsible for maintaining normal hair cell function.

11 Jun 2026

Experimental two‑in‑one vaccine shows success in human LASSARAB trial

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have reported encouraging results from the first human clinical trial of LASSARAB, an experimental vaccine designed to protect against Lassa fever and rabies in a single formulation.

9 Jun 2026

Senior Care Authority kicks off Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month with six science-backed habits that may help reduce dementia risk

An estimated 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older are now living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures report, and that number is projected to climb to nearly 13 million by 2050.

5 Jun 2026

Women may face greater cognitive impact from dementia risk factors

Researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that women not only experience a higher burden of certain modifiable dementia risk factors, but also appear more vulnerable to their effects on cognitive function.

20 May 2026

Brain-controlled hearing aid concept helps solve the cocktail party problem

Researchers developed a real-time brain-controlled hearing system that uses neural signals to identify and amplify the speaker a listener is focusing on in noisy, multi-talker environments. Using intracranial brain recordings, the system improved speech intelligibility, reduced listening effort, tracked attention shifts, and provided a benchmark for future brain-guided hearing aids.

13 May 2026

Brain controlled hearing technology helps people isolate voices in crowds

Scientists at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute have the first direct evidence from human studies that brain-controlled hearing technology can help people single out a voice in a crowd.

11 May 2026

New clinical guidelines significantly reduce opioid prescriptions after ear surgery

A new retrospective study published in OTO Open, the open-access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), demonstrates that the Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) Opioid Prescribing for Analgesia After Common Otolaryngology Operations has had a measurable and sustained impact on prescribing practices following parotidectomy, which a surgical procedure to remove the parotid gland.

28 Apr 2026

New gene therapy improves hearing in patients with rare genetic deafness

A new international study co-led by investigators from Mass General Brigham and the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University shows that a gene therapy for a rare form of genetic deafness successfully restored hearing in most participants, with results lasting up to 2.5 years.

23 Apr 2026

Eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma linked to higher odds of dementia

A new study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official peer-reviewed publication of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that two common and treatable causes of conductive hearing loss-eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma, a type of abnormal skin growth in the middle ear-are associated with higher odds of dementia.

13 Apr 2026

Hearing loss and sex shape dual-task outcomes in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Cognitive and physical training can help older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) maintain or improve their ability to move and think simultaneously, but hearing ability and sex influence outcomes, according to a new Concordia-led study.

7 Apr 2026

Swimming in treated pools safe for children with tympanostomy tubes

A new study published in Otolaryngology−Head and Neck Surgery, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology−Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that children with tympanostomy tubes who swim in treated pools are not at increased risk of ear drainage, while those exposed to untreated or natural bodies of water face significantly higher odds of developing recurrent otorrhea.

30 Mar 2026

Dual sensory loss affects confidence in navigation and sound localization

According to a recent multi-institute PLOS One study led by the Multisensory Research Lab at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, time of hearing loss onset is a key determinant of patient confidence and self-reported sound localization abilities - the ability to perceive and locate objects in an environment - even in individuals who use hearing aids or who have received vision rehabilitation training.

11 Mar 2026

Mandated cCMV screening improves early identification of infant hearing loss

A new retrospective cohort study examining the impact of Minnesota's first-in-the-nation mandated universal newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) shows that universal screening significantly decreased the age at first audiology visit and increased identification of mild hearing loss in infants.

2 Mar 2026

Toddler thrives after receiving newly FDA-approved cochlear implant system

Six months after becoming the first patient in the United States to receive a newly FDA-approved cochlear implant system, 18-month-old Nene Gudavadze is responding to sound, dancing to music, and saying her first words.

27 Feb 2026

Assessing long-term cognitive risks in ependymoma survivors

A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital assessed cognitive and communication abilities in children treated for the brain tumor ependymoma to understand the impact of treatment better. They found that radiation was a significant contributor to hearing loss, a risk directly linked to cognitive health.

23 Feb 2026

AI model forecasts bone removal in cochlear implant surgery

Cochlear implant surgery helps people with severe hearing loss by placing an electronic device inside the inner ear. To reach the inner ear, surgeons must first remove part of a bone behind the ear, in a procedure called mastoidectomy.

23 Feb 2026