Some children are born deaf with complete absence of hearing. This is called Congenital hearing loss and is usually due to hereditary factors. Hearing loss occurs in school-going children due to wax accumulation in the ear, or accumulation of fluid in the middle ear – called Glue ear –  from frequent cold and tonsils infection. 

As an expert in hearing loss, Dr. Shree Rao explains that in adults the condition can be caused by (i) a hole in the ear drum, (ii) fluid accumulation or disease such as cholesteatoma in the middle ear and mastoid bone, (iii) granulation tissue, (iv) exposure to loud noise or (v) due to fixation of stapes – a tiny bone present in the middle ear. 

In older people, age-related hearing loss mostly occurs due to weakening of the hearing nerve. Some people may develop hearing loss without any known or underlying cause.

According to Dr. Shree Rao, Ear Surgeon, hearing loss cannot be predicted in infants and toddlers and is therefore more difficult to identify. However, parents can recognise the early signs of hearing loss in infants by observing if the normal speech and hearing development milestones listed below are being achieved. 

•  Birth to 4 months: Cries to loud sounds, startles to loud sounds in deep sleep, recognises and calms down to familiar voices when spoken to 
• 5 months to 8 months: Turns eyes or head towards the side of sound produced, repeats sounds like baa, ooh, tha- tha, is scared by loud noises 
• 9 months to 12 months: Responds to his or her name when called, makes babbling sounds, starts speaking bi-syllable words like mamma, nanna, dada
• 1 year to 2 years:  Understands simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions, starts speaking simple words

As an ENT specialist focusing on the ear and all the diseases and conditions surrounding it, Dr. Shree Rao emphasizes that hearing loss occurs very gradually, and many people are unaware that they have it or of its extent.  Hearing loss compromises the everyday quality of life as people suffering with the condition undergo discomfort and awkwardness while conversing with others, which overtime leads to self-consciousness, withdrawal and mental anguish.

The usual indications of hearing loss include:

• Inability to hear clearly over the telephone
• Difficulty in hearing in a noisy background 
• Straining to follow a conversation
• Misunderstanding what others are saying 
• Requesting people to repeat themselves
• Turning the TV volume up too high for others
• Hearing a ringing, roaring, or hissing sound in the ears
• Being sensitive to some sounds

Treatment depends on the kind of hearing loss that one is experiencing. Being among the best hearing loss restoration doctors in Hyderabad,
Dr. Shree Rao uses her skills to expertly examine the ear, conduct clinical and audiological tests, and arrive at the diagnosis. While certain types
of hearing loss can be treated with medication or a hearing aid, some others may require surgical procedures for restoration of hearing.

Dr. Shree Rao, Ear Surgeon, has vast experience in handling hearing loss conditions and is skilled in different surgical treatments including Stapedectomy and Ossiculoplasty.

A Stapedectomy is a surgical procedure of the middle ear performed to improve hearing. The surgery involves the removal of complete or part
of the original stapes bone and replacing it with a prosthesis. This procedure restores the transmission of sound waves to the inner ear for
hearing and the results are immediate. Most often, the patient will regain hearing in the operation theatre itself!

As a specialized Stapedectomy surgeon, Dr. Shree Rao has brought succor to hundreds of patients. Her friendly and caring approach backed by inherent skill, turns patients’ anxiousness into ease and surgeries into successes. Dr. Shree Rao can easily be counted among the best Stapedectomy and Prosthesis placement surgeons in India.

Ossiculoplasty is a surgical procedure for restoring the hearing system between the tympanic membrane and the oval window. The surgery reforms the faulty ossicular chain of three bones in the middle ear cavity and rectifies conductive hearing loss. 

Conductive hearing loss results from impaired transmission of sound from the external auditory canal across the middle ear structures to the cochlea of the inner ear.  A variety of disorders can affect the sound transmission pathway at the level of the ear canal, tympanic membrane, and ossicles prior to reaching the hearing organ.

Dr. Shree Rao is one of the known specialists in the domain of Ossiculoplasty treatment in Hyderabad. Her expertise assures patients of relief from conductive hearing loss.

Dr. Shree Rao leverages her expertise to conduct Ossiculoplasty surgeries at Dr. Rao’s ENT, a 47,000 sft. state-of-the-art dedicated ENT hospital in the heart of Hyderabad.  The procedure is performed under monitored anesthesia using a microscope to magnify the tiny middle ear bones for better visualization. It involves partially or completely repairing the ear’s sound conducting mechanism by either enhancing or recreating the damaged ossicles. Sometimes, a small prosthesis is inserted into the middle ear space to act as an artificial ossicle.  The artificial prosthesis is usually made of teflon, hydroxyapatite, or titanium.

If there are associated problems in the middle ear such as chronic infection or cholesteatoma, Dr. Shree Rao performs the ossiculoplasty in conjunction with other ear operations.