Hearing loss and hyperacusis seldom occur simultaneously. Causes Excessive noise exposure appears to be a cause of this disorder. Some people report that their hyperacusis began immediately following a single exposure to intense noise, like that from a gun shot blast or an air bag deployment. Others became sound sensitive from long-term noise exposure. Hyperacusis patients find that their condition is worsened not only when they are exposed to noise, but also when they go too far to protect their ears from it.
Silence can worsen the condition.
Head injury, Bell's Palsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, Lyme disease, and drug side effects have all been associated with hyperacusis. Although the exact point of injury and the mechanism responsible for hyperacusis are not definitively known, most researchers believe that hyperacusis ultimately is the result of a dysfunction in the brain's sound regulatory mechanism. Treatments Sound desensitization treatment techniques have helped many hyperacusis patients become more tolerant of sound. Improved loudness tolerance might not be seen for many months. Conductive hearing loss is caused by something that stops incoming sound from traveling through the outer or middle ear on its way to the inner ear.