Hearing loss can be devastating and socially isolating. We forget how much we rely on good hearing, day to day, whether it be at work or relaxing listening to our favourite music. If you come to see me, I would ask you how long you have had hearing loss for, which ear is affected, do you have ear pain, noises in the ears (tinnitus), spinning (vertigo), loud noise exposure over prolonged periods of time, do your ears feel blocked, do you have pressure in the ears, or have you taken any medicines which might have affected your hearing or balance.
I would examine your ears to check if there is any wax blocking, which is probably the simplest reason for having hearing loss. I would remove the wax. I would also check to see if there is any infection in the ear canal, perforation of the ear drum, and fluid behind the ear drum. You may need a hearing test (audiogram) and pressure test (tympanogram) so you can contact my audiologists to book these tests. The pressure test will tell me if there is any fluid behind the ear drum (glue ear).
You can book a hearing test with Sue Halliday at the Nuffield Hospital, Cambridge, by emailing suehalliday@cambridgehearing.co.uk. In the Spire Cambridge Lea, I work with Audiological Specialist Care. Their email address is clinics@audiologycare.co.uk. Once you have had your hearing test done, they can send me the results and you can book a follow up appointment so that we can go through the results together and come up with a plan.
If you need a hearing test for a child under 4 years old, I would recommend CHEARS in Shepreth (info@chears.co.uk).
The hearing test will give me an idea of how much hearing loss you have and the type of hearing loss. If the ear canal and ear drum is normal, there may be wear and tear of the inner ear causing deafness (presbycusis). This can happen slowly over many years and can show up on a hearing test. My audiologist can talk to you about advanced private hearing aids which may help.
Other causes of hearing loss include fluid behind the ear drum (glue ear), perforation of the ear drum, pressure damage to the ear during flying (barotrauma), outer ear infections (otitis externa), middle ear infections (otitis media), infections of the inner ear (labyrinthitis), noise induced deafness, medication induced deafness, fixation of the little bones of hearing (otosclerosis), and Ménière’s disease.
Many types of hearing loss can be treated, so book your appointment today.