Week 9: Auditory & Visual Physiology

Question 1

• What are the two basic types of hearing loss?
• What may they result from?
• What (if any) are the subdivisions of these two types of hearing loss?

Answer 1

• Conductive.
  
  • Obstruction of the external auditory canal or from any interference with the efficient functioning of the middle ear.
• Sensorineural.
  
  • Cochlear and retrocochlear.
  • disease or damage to the cochlea, eighth cranial nerve or higher auditory centres. In these cases, sound reaches the cochlea unimpeded but is not perceived correctly centrally

Question 2

Name two general testing strategies used for assessing hearing loss.

Answer 2

• Otoscopic examination.
• Tuning fork test.