Hearing impairment, deafness, or hearing loss refers to the total or partial inability to hear sounds. There are many causes and types of deafness.
A patient with a mild hearing impairment may have problems understanding speech, especially if there is a lot of noise around, while those with moderate deafness may need a hearing aid.
Some people are severely deaf and rely on lip-reading to communicate with others. People who are profoundly deaf can hear nothing at all and can find themselves totally reliant on lip-reading or sign language.
In the United States, around 15 percentTrusted Source of people over the age of 18 years report some level of hearing loss. Read more...
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