‘I’d lost 50 per cent of my hearing’
WHEN music lover Geoff Pring decided it was time to get a new hearing test, what the experts at Amplifon told him really struck a chord. The 52-year-old says: “What I discovered was a revelation – it was a real eye opener. I’d learned things about my hearing that I never knew.”
Last week, in our exclusive series following Geoff ’s journey to better hearing, we revealed how he had been struggling with hearing problems for nearly a decade.
The former business advisor had noticed that he was missing what was said in meetings and background noise was affecting his ability to hear friends in the pub.
He explains: “It was affecting my social and work life.”
Despite getting hearing aids Geoff has struggled with his old pair, finding them bulky and difficult to wear – and so often went without them.
His wife Linda, also 52, and his children still complained he had the TV turned up too loud.
And, after filling in an Amplifon survey on the Daily Express website about hearing loss symptoms, he says: “I knew it was time to have another test.”
From the moment Geoff decided to visit his local Amplifon clinic for a 90 minute hearing test with a fully trained audiologist he knew he’d made a good call.
Sound idea
He explains: “I was immediately put at ease by my audiologist, Fouad and I was impressed by how thorough the test was.
“First he took me through all the scenarios where I was having problems with my hearing, such as picking up conversations with my friends in a pub after a concert.
“He also asked me how I felt about it - how my hearing was affecting my quality of life.
“Then we did all sorts of practical tests like trying to pick out different syllables in speech. I found it fascinating. I failed most of them!”
“Afterwards Fouad explained that I had moderate to severe degree of sensorineural hearing loss – I’d lost around 50 per cent of my hearing in both ears.”
“He also explained how the ears work and how sounds are transmitted to the brain. These were things I was learning for the first time.”
Fouad explains: “Geoff has wear and tear of the hair cells in the cochlea.
“Their main function is to receive the sound vibrations in all the audible range and convert
‘I was impressed by how thorough the test was…these were things I was learning for the first time!’
them to a signal that is fired into the auditory nerve to send to the brain.
“This wear and tear is permanent and progressive. It affects all the registers with the same degree - the whole perception of sounds, so he perceives all sounds much softer and less clearly.
“He cannot hear a softly spoken person or a person talking at a distance.
“When there is background noise or a group conversation he struggles a lot and cannot follow or enjoy it.
“He also has tinnitus – a hissing sound in the ears.”
New start
Although no definite cause for Geoff’s hearing loss could be identified, the rock fan and ex-DJ believes it could be down to his love of music as a youngster.
He says: “I went to lots of gigs and ran discos and I think that’s where it started.”
Thankfully Fouad was able to suggest new hearing aids that could help with Geoff’s symptoms and allow him to transform his everyday life.
And, as he embarks on a new career as a college tutor, it couldn’t come at a better time.
He adds: “As well as identifying what was wrong Fouad offered solutions and went through all the options.
“There are lots of new hearing aids that can adjust to the situation you’re in and be less visible than the ones I have now. “
Fouad adds: “We want him to regain his confidence to join in a conversation and most importantly to enjoy a better quality of life.”
Now Geoff is already encouraging friends and family to get hearing tests too: “I can’t recommend the professionalism at Amplifon enough.
“To be honest, I can’t believe I left it so long to get another hearing test – you’ve got nothing to lose. “Now I’m confident I’m getting the help I need.”
Follow Geoff ’s story next week to find out more about the process of fitting his new hearing aids...