Don’t take hearing loss lightly

A LOSS of hearing isn’t just something that happens as you age. Hearing loss is a serious condition that can affect your social life, memory, confidence and even your emotional side. Yet more than 10 million people in the UK have some form of hearing loss — that’s one in six of the population. Enhancing the clarity of your hearing can make a big difference when communicating with your friends and family or even watching television. There are three types of hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common and occurs when the tiny hair cells of the inner ear are damaged, and so send a distorted message to the brain, making it difficult to hear. This can be caused by age, injury, infections, abnormal pressure and certain medications. Hearing aids can help the remaining hair cells to respond with maximum efficiency. Conductive hearing loss happens when there is an issue with the outer or middle ear, such as an infection, build-up of fluid, blockage or damage. This can often be surgically treated. Sometimes both types are present. An audiologist can identify the type of hearing loss you have, using a range of assessments, and will identify solutions that can be programmed to your individual needs. There are tiny, invisible hearing aids for early stage hearing loss (pictured right) and larger types for the more profound. It is no longer the case that smaller hearing aids are always more expensive. In fact, the latest advances in technology help to keep costs low. So it’s now possible to find the most effective hearing aid solution for you, at an affordable price.