Degrees of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can range from mild to profound.

Mild

A person with a mild hearing loss may hear some speech sounds but soft sounds are hard to hear.

Moderate

A person with a moderate hearing loss may hear almost no speech when another person is talking at a normal level.

Severe

A person with severe hearing loss will hear no speech when a person is talking at a normal level and only some loud sounds.

Profound

A person with a profound hearing loss will not hear any speech and only very loud sounds.

Hearing loss can also be described as:

• Unilateral or Bilateral
  Hearing loss is in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral).

• Pre-lingual or Post-lingual
  Hearing loss happened before a person learned to talk (pre-lingual) or after a person learned to talk (post-lingual).

• Symmetrical or Asymmetrical
  Hearing loss is the same in both ears (symmetrical) or is different in each ear (asymmetrical).

• Progressive or Sudden
  Hearing loss worsens over time (progressive) or happens quickly (sudden).

• Fluctuating or Stable
  Hearing loss gets either better or worse over time (fluctuating) or stays the same over time (stable).

• Congenital or Acquired/Delayed Onset
  Hearing loss is acquired at birth (congenital) or develops sometime later in life (acquired or delayed onset).