Worried about your hearing?
The thought of losing your hearing can be worrying. Acknowledging that you might have hearing loss and accepting that you may need to take action is an important step, but remember that there is plenty of help and support available.
Seven signs of hearing loss
Did you know that 2 out of 3 people with hearing loss are undiagnosed and untreated? Below are some indicators that you may have hearing loss.
- Having the TV or radio turned up too loudly
- Struggling to follow conversations and asking people to repeat themselves
- Muffled hearing or difficulty hearing background noise
- Missing phone calls or the doorbell
- Twisting your neck to hear a sound
- Upset when confronted about hearing problems
- Becoming withdrawn or isolated
How the NHS can help you
- Visit your doctor for an appointment where they will be able to check if your ears are clear.
- If you have some wax, you may be prescribed some eardrops, which will soften or help dissolve the wax, have your ears syringed or be referred for wax removal at the hospital. Once your ears are completely clear, the doctor will make a referral to the hospital.
- Your doctor may discuss the different local departments with you so you can choose which clinic you would like to be seen at. This appointment should take place no more than six weeks after you have visited your doctor.
- If you are over 60 years old, generally you can be referred straight to the Audiology department for a hearing assessment to see if you would benefit from a hearing aid.
Private help
You might choose to go directly to a private hearing aid dispenser instead. Just as with the NHS route, hearing aid dispensers will assess your hearing before deciding if you would benefit from wearing hearing aids.
