The Science of Hearing: 2. How Do Our Ears Break?
dr looking inside patient's ear icon

2How Do Our Ears Break?

Tuning fork iconIf the sound waves entering the cochlea have enough power, they will disrupt or destroy the hair cells and other structures of the inner ear. This results in a temporary or permanent hearing loss and can also cause tinnitus.

Our ears are amazing and sound enriches our daily lives! We don’t even have to put any effort into hearing, it happens automatically. However, the tiny structures within the ear are fragile and can be damaged by listening to high amplitude sound for too long. So, what exactly happens when our ears are over-exposed?

2. How Do Our Ears Break?

Select the correct label from the drop-down lists below that corresponds to each image.

healthy hair cell
A
damaged hair cell
B
Quiz
Continue