The degree of hearing loss in both ears is seldom identical in bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. However, there must be a minimum of 15 dB HL difference at three consecutive frequencies between both ears for a bilateral hearing loss to be classified as asymmetric.
Patients with ASNHL rely more on their better-hearing ears. Due to the emphasis on the better-hearing ear of ASNHL patients, the impact of their worse-hearing ear on speech discrimination abilities was not given significant consideration. Therefore, the long-term effects of ASNHL on speech discrimination abilities must be explored.
The rationale of this study is to answer the following research question “Do symmetric and asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss have different effects on speech discrimination abilities?".
ASNHL: Asymmetric Sensorineural Hearing Loss
SSNHL: Symmetrical Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Aim:
The aim of this study was to find out the effect of asymmetric and symmetric sensorineural hearing loss on speech discrimination abilities.