Unilateral Hearing Loss
Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) means that hearing is normal in one ear but there is hearing loss in the other ear. The hearing loss can range from mild to very severe. UHL can occur in both adults and children.
Approximately 1 out of every 1,000 children is born with UHL, and nearly 3% of school-age children have UHL. Children with UHL are at higher risk for having academic, speech-language, and social-emotional difficulties than their normal hearing peers. This may be because UHL is often not identified, and the children do not receive intervention.
Below are some possible causes of UHL:
- Hearing loss that runs in the family (genetic or hereditary)
- An outer, middle, or inner ear abnormality
- Some syndromes
- Illnesses or infections
- Head injury
- Exposure to loud noise
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
