Definition

Hearing loss is any reduction in a person's ability to detect sound.

Description

Hearing is a complex process that consists of many steps. It begins when sound waves strike the outside of the ear. Sound waves are vibrations that occur in air. When sound waves hit the ear, they cause tissue in the ear to start vibrating.

The ear consists of three major sections: the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The external ear acts like a small sound-collecting tube. Sound waves enter the ear and pass down a narrow canal called the auditory canal. At the end of the canal, the sound waves strike a thin membrane called the tympanic (pronounced tim-PA-nik) membrane, or ear drum. They cause the tympanic membrane to begin vibrating.

Just beyond the tympanic membrane is the middle ear. The middle ear contains three bones called ossicles...