Deafness and hearing loss

Hearing loss and deafness

A person is said to have hearing loss if they are not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing - hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears. It can be mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe, or profound, and can affect one or both ears. Hearing loss has multiple potential causes: genetic factors, complications at birth, infectious disease, chronic ear infections, usage of certain drugs, exposure to excessive noise, and aging.

Hard of hearing and deaf

The term ‘deaf’ is used to describe the condition of people with severe or profound hearing loss in both ears as they can hear only very loud sounds or not hear anything at all.

The term ‘hard of hearing’ is used to describe the condition of people with mild to severe hearing impairment as they cannot hear as well as those with normal hearing.

Ear and hearing care

Ear and hearing care includes comprehensive, evidence-based interventions to prevent, identify and treat ear diseases and hearing loss; and to rehabilitate and support people with hearing loss through the health system and in collaboration with other systems.

Hearing rehabilitation

The term encompasses a diverse set of interventions that can benefit people with untreatable hearing loss. These include: hearing aids, cochlear implants, other assistive devices, sign language, auditory training, speech and language therapy and captioning.