Conductive Hearing Loss: Causes, Treatments, and What You Can Do

When sound can't travel properly through your outer or middle ear, you're dealing with conductive hearing loss, a type of hearing impairment caused by physical blockages or damage in the ear canal, eardrum, or tiny middle ear bones. Also known as mechanical hearing loss, it’s not about damaged nerves—it’s about sound getting stuck before it even gets to the inner ear. Unlike sensorineural hearing loss, which is often permanent, conductive hearing loss is frequently treatable—and sometimes reversible.

This condition shows up in simple ways: muffled sounds, trouble hearing in noisy rooms, or feeling like your ear is plugged. Common causes include ear wax blockage, a buildup of cerumen that physically blocks sound waves, otitis media, fluid behind the eardrum from infection or allergies, or a perforated eardrum. Even something as simple as a foreign object in the ear canal can do it. In kids, it’s often linked to frequent ear infections. In adults, it might be from aging cartilage, scarring, or even benign growths like osteomas.

What makes conductive hearing loss different is that it usually doesn’t affect your ability to understand speech—just how loud it is. That’s why people with this condition often say, "I can hear you, but I can’t make out what you’re saying." The fix isn’t always a hearing aid. Sometimes, it’s just cleaning out the wax. Other times, it’s antibiotics for an infection, a minor surgery to repair the eardrum, or a bone-anchored hearing device if the middle ear bones are damaged. You don’t need to live with it. Many cases are resolved with a visit to an ENT.

The posts below cover real-world situations where hearing issues intersect with medication use, safety, and treatment options. You’ll find details on how certain drugs can affect ear health, what to do when hearing loss shows up alongside other conditions, and how to navigate treatment without falling for myths or unnecessary procedures. Whether you’re dealing with ear infections, wondering if your meds are contributing to the problem, or just trying to understand why your hearing feels off—this collection gives you the facts you need to act.