Find out What Causes Hearing Loss in One Ear, When It’s Permanent and How To Treat It
A feeling of fullness in your ear or dizziness are sneaky symptoms to watch for
Only being able to hear out of one ear is more than just disorienting—it can even be alarming when it occurs suddenly. Yet hearing loss in one ear, or unilateral hearing loss, can happen for many reasons. Some of the causes (like an ear infection) can be treated quickly, while others require intervention from a specialist. Here’s what it feels like to lose hearing in one ear, what causes it and how to treat it if it happens to you.
Hearing loss in one ear can have unexpected symptoms
“The obvious symptom of unilateral hearing loss is that someone will struggle to hear out of one side,” says Patricia Gaffney, AuD, MPH, professor at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and member of the American Academy of Audiology.
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“You might only notice this if you put your ear to the phone and can’t hear as well, or if you lay on a pillow with the affected ear up and notice it’s really quiet,” she adds. “It also might be difficult to hear where sounds are coming from, or you find yourself turning your head to the other ear when someone is speaking in order to hear them better.”
But those aren’t the only warning signs, Dr. Gaffney says. Some unexpected symptoms of hearing loss in one ear include:
- Feeling like the ear is full or clogged (referred to as aural fullness)
- Hearing a ringing sound in the ear (known as tinnitus)
- Dizziness or feeling light-headed
What causes hearing loss in one ear?
Hearing loss in one ear can happen for a few reasons. Dr. Gaffney says some of the most common culprits are:
- Earwax buildup in the ear canal
- Middle ear infections (clinically referred to as otitis media)
- Otosclerosis, abnormal bone growth in the middle ear. “This is more common for women, with symptoms more noticeable in the mid-thirties,” Dr. Gaffney says.
- An acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that grows slowly on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain, resulting in gradual hearing loss
- Sensorineural hearing loss, caused by certain immune disorders, exposure to loud noises and/or family history
You might think hearing loss in one ear is a sign of aging, or perhaps occurs from having the volume on your AirPods too high. But Dr. Gaffney says this isn’t usually the case.
“With age-related hearing loss and/or noise exposure, it’s typically a decline in the hearing of both ears, not just one,” she says. “Unilateral hearing loss is a red flag–it’s something you want to investigate quickly. For example, even though an acoustic neuroma isn’t cancerous, you still want to get it removed so it doesn’t grow into the brainstem and cause other issues.”
How to treat hearing loss in one ear
For certain causes, like earwax buildup or an ear infection, removing the wax or a course of antibiotics should resolve the issue and restore your hearing. (Check out our expert-backed tips for removing earwax safely.) Other conditions like an acoustic neuroma (and sometimes otosclerosis) require surgery, and Dr. Gaffney says there may be some degree of permanent hearing loss.
“Depending on how severe the hearing loss is, a cochlear implant or a hearing aid will restore some of that loss,” Dr. Gaffney says. “They will also reduce listening fatigue, helping you to listen better with background noise, and allow the brain to process information faster.”
With unilateral hearing loss, Dr. Gaffney says it’s important to seek prompt treatment from an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT), especially if it’s sudden.
“If you wake up one morning and suddenly can’t hear out of one ear [which is typically sudden sensorineural hearing loss], make an appointment with an ENT,” she stresses. “They can prescribe a steroid to recover as much of the hearing as possible while they seek out other treatment options. For hearing loss that is gradual, an ENT can refer you to an audiologist who can diagnose and treat the issue.”
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