A form of sensorineural deafness, presbycusis is progressive loss of hearing that occurs with age. It is due to the natural degeneration and death of sensory nerve cells in the ear. Both ears are usually affected.
The loss of hearing causes difficulty in hearing high-pitched sounds and difficulty in hearing speech clearly, especially if there is background noise.
There is no cure for presbycusis, but in most cases hearing can be improved with hearing aids.