What is the typical impact of sensorineural hearing loss?

Sensorineural hearing loss primarily affects the inner ear or auditory nerve, leading to a more pronounced difficulty in hearing high-frequency sounds. This type of hearing loss often results from damage to the hair cells within the cochlea or issues with the auditory nerve itself.

As a result, individuals with sensorineural hearing loss frequently struggle to perceive sounds above certain frequencies, typically starting in the higher ranges. This can make it challenging to hear certain consonant sounds or understand speech, especially in environments where background noise is present.

The nature of this hearing loss means that while individuals may still hear low-frequency sounds relatively well, their ability to perceive high-frequency sounds significantly diminishes, making the impact of this condition distinctively noticeable in those areas. Thus, the correct choice accurately reflects the characteristic challenges faced by individuals experiencing sensorineural hearing loss.