What is SNHL?
Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is hearing loss caused by damage to the hair cells in the cochlea or damage to the neural pathways of hearing (nerves).
Symptoms of SNHL include: loss of acuity in distinguishing foreground voices against noisy backgrounds, difficulty understanding on the telephone, difficulty understanding some parts of speech, loss of directionality of sound, and difficulty understanding speech. Similar symptoms are also associated with other kinds of hearing loss. Audiometry or other diagnostic tests are necessary to distinguish sensorineural hearing loss.
There is no proven or recommended treatment or cure for SNHL. In cases of profound or total deafness, a cochlear implant is a specialized hearing aid which may restore a functional level of hearing.