Additional Information
About hearing loss and hearing aids
You think you have a hearing problem or have friends, family or work colleagues made the suggestion. What should you do?
Consider your problem, is it in one or both ears or you don’t know. It is often easier to self-test your vision than you’re hearing.
Next step is to have your hearing tested.
The best hearing test takes fifteen to thirty minutes and is undertaken by a professional audiologist using a measuring device called an audiometer in a sound proof booth. It involves testing each ear individually with tones and speech at varying pitches and loudness. This hearing test is recorded on a graph and can be given to you on paper or sent to you by email as an attachment. Online hearing tests is no substitute for this process.
From this hearing test the audiologist will advise you if your hearing is within the normal range or if a trial of a hearing aid may worthwhile. You may even be advised that further assessment by your doctor is warranted to clear ear wax or treat some other medical cause for hearing loss.
In adults the commonest forms of hearing loss are due to ageing effects or long term noise injury to the inner ear or a combination of both. In these people a trial of hearing aid is often worthwhile.
A little about hearing aids.
A hearing aid is a small electronic device sitting behind the ear or in the ear canal. They are so small they can be difficult to notice. They are made up of multiple micro-electronic components including a microphone, an amplifier, sound filters and a loud speaker.
Today through blue tooth technology they can be tuned through apps on your smart phone and through streaming devices give you individual assistance to audio from your TV or mobile phone. If you have been advised to trial a hearing aid. Reputable audiology services will offer you a hearing aid trial. In this process you will be fitted with a hearing aid in one or both ears. You will purchase the hearing aid for a trial of one month. If you find it helpful you will keep the aid and continue to enjoy the assistance in your hearing. During the trial period If the aid is of no benefit, despite adjustments, you may return it for a refund.