Unilateral hearing loss refers to loss in how many ears?

• A. One ear
• B. Both ears
• C. No ears
• D. The ears have different degrees of loss

Answer: (A)

Unilateral means one ear is affected. So unilateral hearing loss is hearing loss in a single ear, while the other ear has normal or near-normal hearing. That’s why the best choice is the one that states one ear. If both ears were affected, that would be bilateral hearing loss. If there were no ears hearing at all, that would be total deafness. The idea of the ears having different degrees of loss would imply two ears are involved, which is not unilateral.