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What is sensorineural hearing loss?

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by problems in the inner ear or auditory nerve – the nerve that carries sound from the inner ear to the brain. 

Often sensorineural hearing loss is gradual, and people with this type of hearing loss may not notice they are experiencing it until it starts to affect speech recognition and communication, typically in noisy restaurants or other social situations. 

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Treatment of sensorineural hearing loss
Most sensorineural hearing loss is treated with amplification, although people with very profound hearing loss sometimes need a cochlear implant, which replaces the function of the damaged inner ear.
 
People with sensorineural hearing loss usually cannot regain normal hearing, but they can be helped with the technology found in hearing aids.