Single sided deafness (SSD) occurs when severe hearing loss occurs in only one ear. This may be the result of many conditions: sudden sensorineural hearing loss, Meniere’s disease and cochlear hydrops, head trauma, tumors, and less commonly, cholesteatoma and otosclerosis.
In SSD, only one ear is “operational,” but to hear effectively in noise and locate sound sources, two ears (binaural hearing) are needed. Binaural hearing takes advantage of time of arrival and loudness cues to localize sound and hear through noise. For example, a sound coming from a car approaching your left will arrive sooner at and be louder in your left ear than the right ear. This forms the basis for sound localization. Your brainstem performs very complex signal analysis to allow you to hear better in background noise than nearly any computer algorithm currently available.
So SSD has significant effects on hearing and for safety. Some people are able to adapt well, but most have some disability with SSD.
Treating SSD involves several steps:
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Dr. Ruffin was the first person in over 10 years to actually take the time to really listen to me. He took the time to figure out what’s actually going on without chalking it up to something simple and sending me on my way.
I really appreciated Chad's honesty with options, having surgery being a last result and most of all explaining everything in layman's terms. I couldn't be happier with my experience and really appreciate him getting to the bottom of my ear issue and making it feel better than it ever has!
Dr. Ruffin was incredibly knowledgeable, thorough and compassionate. He took the time to fully understand the issues and was able to provide immediate relief. Nothing short of a miracle here. Furthermore, the entire team was very kind and professional. One of the best medical experiences I have had!
