What is deafness?

Deafness is the complete loss of hearing. What some people call partial deafness is now better known as being hard of hearing. For more information, see our page on hearing loss.

If you are deaf, you cannot hear well enough to hold a conversation through sound alone, although some people who are deaf hear noises in their ears like ringing, humming, hissing, whistling, clicking, roaring, whooshing or buzzing. This is known as tinnitus.

Children who have hearing problems might not respond to your voice or loud noises. They might also search for your voice, or be doing poorly at school, or seem unusually sad or angry.

What causes deafness?

Deafness is often caused by:

1) Exposure to loud noise

2) Some medicines and medical conditions

3) Abnormal growth of the tiny bones in the middle ear

4) Damage or malfunction of the cochlear in the inner ear

5) Problems with the nerve between the cochlear and the brain

Some people are born deaf. Others become deaf over time – this is more common in people who work in noisy environments, or with machinery and loud tools, or who have been in war zones. It is also more common with age.