Hearing loss doesn’t always happen equally in both ears. Hearing loss in one ear, called unilateral hearing loss, occurs when one ear has hearing loss, but the other ear can hear normally.
Both children and adults can experience unilateral hearing loss. Sometimes it’s temporary and can be treated to restore normal hearing—often the case with unilateral conductive hearing loss. Other times, the hearing loss can be permanent (sensorineural).
While one ear can hear normally with unilateral hearing loss, our bodies were designed to be binaural, or to hear with both ears. Our ears constantly communicate with one another as they absorb sounds from the environment. People who can’t hear out of one ear may find it difficult to:
This type of hearing loss can range from mild to profound; if the loss is severe enough, it may mean the person is deaf in one ear. In these cases, it is sometimes called single-sided deafness (SSD).
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Did you recently start to experience muffled hearing in one ear? Those who experience muffled ears typically describe a “full” or “plugged up” feeling. When your ear feels full and hearing is muffled, it can feel like there is cotton or some other object clogging the ear.
Muffled hearing can present itself in one or both ears; its onset is often sudden, but it can also occur gradually over time. Muffled hearing is typical of conductive hearing loss, which happens when sound waves cannot pass through to the inner ear from the middle and outer ear.
Those that experience muffled ear typically describe a “full” or “plugged up” feeling. When your ear feels clogged and muffled, it can often feel like there is cotton or some other object clogging the ear.
Muffled hearing can present itself in one or both ears; its onset is often sudden, but it can also occur gradually over time. Muffled hearing is typically a conductive hearing loss, which happens when sound waves cannot pass through to the inner ear from the middle and outer ear.
Many possible causes exist for these conditions, especially if the onset is sudden.
Certain illnesses and infections can cause muffled hearing or hearing loss in one ear. An ear infection, for example, causes fluid to build up in the middle ear, blocking the sound from entering the inner ear. You can also get “swimmer’s ear,” especially if you are a frequent swimmer or spend time in a hot, moist climate.
Swimmer’s ear occurs when water gets trapped in the ear, often after swimming. This creates a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to skin irritation, inflammation, swelling and infection, which narrows or blocks the ear canal.
A common culprit for muffled hearing is excessive ear wax (cerumen). When ear wax builds up in the ear canal, it can cause a blockage. And if it dries up and hardens over time, it increases the risk of impaction. Impacted ear wax can affect your ability to hear. Ear wax blockage often happens when people use items like cotton swabs or bobby pins to try to clean their ears. This only pushes the ear wax further into the ears and can also cause blockage or injury to the ear.
Foreign objects can also enter and get stuck in the ear, causing hearing loss. While children are more at risk for this, even adults can get objects stuck in the ear—more often something like a small bug that flies into the ear while camping, running or working outdoors.
Everyone reacts differently to medication, but some may be ototoxic and contribute to hearing loss in one or both ears. Meds that are known to be ototoxic can damage the sensitive nerve cells in our inner ear. This damage may lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss, ringing in the ears or dizziness. Check with your doctor if you take (or are prescribed) any of the following:
If you start to experience muffled hearing or hearing loss in one ear, you should contact a physician, preferably a physician specializing in diseases of the ear, such as an ENT. They can examine the issue and refer you to an audiologist to properly evaluate and diagnose the hearing problem.
Depending on the cause, treatment options when you can't hear out of one ear may include:
Single-sided hearing loss can sometimes be treated with differing types of amplification. If it’s determined that the hearing loss can be treated with a hearing aid, a hearing care professional (HCP) can help determine which devices will work best in your situation.
Sometimes the hearing loss in the affected ear cannot be helped with a hearing aid. In these cases, Miracle-Ear offers a CROS/BiCROS solution (CROS means Contralateral Routing of Signal.)
These hearing aids connect wirelessly through the CROS transmitter. When sounds and speech are detected by the ear with untreatable hearing loss, they can be transmitted wirelessly to the better ear to be processed. This wireless transmission allows you to hear better in a variety of situations, such as talking on the phone, conversing in a group setting or walking side by side with someone. Your HCP can help determine if this is the right course of treatment for your situation.
Here are some tips for protecting your hearing health:
Loud noises can damage the delicate nerve cells in the inner ear, causing temporary or permanent hearing loss. Protect your ears from loud noises by turning down the volume or wearing hearing protection in noisy situations. Common situations in which to protect your ears include:
If your ears feel clogged and your hearing is muffled, but you don’t have excessive earwax, there may be something else going on. Ear infections, sinus infections and allergies can cause that clogged feeling, due to swollen or clogged Eustachian tubes.
Sometimes air travel can cause a similar sensation due to the change in pressure. Generally these issues will resolve on their own in a couple of days—but if they continue, talk to your doctor.
Partial hearing loss in one ear can be caused by a number of things, including exposure to excessive noise—especially when the noise originates closer to one ear—an infection or impacted ear wax.
NIHL may be temporary or permanent; temporary NIHL will come back on its own, but permanent NIHL is best treated with hearing aids. Ear infections generally resolve on their own, but you can talk to your doctor if it persists. And there are many home remedies for removing excess earwax—but your doctor or hearing care professional can also help.
Of course, partial loss of hearing in one ear may also simply be age-related hearing loss, where you’re gradually losing your hearing. When you notice it in just one ear, that simply means your hearing loss is progressing more quickly in one ear vs. the other.
Tinnitus, or a ringing in the ear, is a common symptom for those experiencing hearing loss. When experiencing muffled hearing with ringing in your ears, it may be due to conductive hearing loss or damage to the nerve cells in the inner ear.
While there is no cure for tinnitus, your doctor or HCP may have suggestions on how to cope with tinnitus. If you experience muffled hearing in one ear and tinnitus you should seek the opinion of your medical doctor immediately.
If you or a loved one is experiencing hearing loss in one ear or have an ear that feels clogged and muffled, book an appointment at Miracle-Ear today to talk with one of our hearing specialists and find the right course of treatment.
