What kinds of hearing aids do you supply?

Everyone experiences hearing loss differently, and so the type of hearing aid that is right for you will depend on a variety of factors, such as how much hearing has been lost, your lifestyle and dexterity, aesthetic considerations, and the budget you have available.

This means we supply and fit three main types of hearing aid:

• Invisible in the canal (IIC) hearing aids, including custom in-the-ear models (CIC, MC, ITC, HS, ITE)
• Behind the ear hearing aids (BTE)
• Receiver in the ear hearing aids (RITE)

To find out more about these and the other types of hearing aid we supply, as well as the range of support we can provide for people experiencing hearing loss, make an appointment at one of our clinics and our audiologist team will do all they can to help you or a loved one.

How do I know if I am Losing my hearing?

Hearing loss doesn’t just mean that you are completely unable to hear sounds; different frequencies of sound are affected in different ways, and so it might mean that you just miss words, or parts of words, during a conversation, especially if there is any background noise.

You might also have a ringing or pulsing sensation in one or both ears. If you are having problems in hearing, you or others may notice that it is also having an impact on the clarity of your own speaking. If you are becoming aware of a diminished ability to hear clearly, a first step might be to undertake our online free hearing test.

This is, however, a relatively basic hearing test, so we would always recommend an appointment at our clinic with a member of our audiologist team to arrange a full clinical test.

What are the causes of hearing loss?

Excessive sound and noise levels can be contributing factors in hearing loss, as can constant exposure to noise in a workplace, as these can cause damage to the inner ear. An infection that leads to a build up of fluid in the middle ear can also impact on hearing health. Ageing can also play a role, and it is not uncommon later in life to have greater difficulty with hearing.

How much do new hearing aids cost?

Our audiologist team is aware of the fact that there are costs associated with hearing aids and maintaining hearing health at all stages of life, and that everyone has a budget within which they have to operate, even if you have private health insurance. When one of our audiologists conducts a hearing aid fitting, we will always aim to find the right solution for your needs and your budget, and without having to pay hidden costs.

What types of free hearing tests do you offer?

You can arrange an appointment for a hearing test directly with us, or alternatively you can be referred by your GP, via the Hearing Services Program, or from an ENT specialist. At our clinics, audiologists carry out a full range of clinical hearing tests. These include:

Otoscopic inspection

This involves a visual inspection of the ear canal and ear drum in order to ascertain the health of the middle ear, and to identify any problems that may potentially impact hearing performance in a test.

Pure tone audiometry

There are two two types of pure tone audiometry hearing tests. In an air conduction test, you are seated in a soundproof booth and played beeps and whistles through headphones, and indicate when you hear them.

The volume of these sounds is gradually reduced, with the softest that you can hear known as your hearing thresholds. These will be used to determine the type and degree of hearing loss you or a family member are experiencing. The other type of hearing test is a bone conduction test.

A small vibrator is placed on the mastoid bone behind the ear in order to measure the softest noise and sound that can be heard. This will help us to determine what may be causing hearing issues, such as fluid in the middle ear, bones that are not functioning properly, or a perforated eardrum.

Speech Tests

If hearing is impaired, it can impact on the clarity of what you hear, not just the volume. Speech tests are a way of determining how clearly a person with a loss of hearing can understand what other people are saying when they are not able to see another person’s lips moving.

A speech-in-Noise test involves undertaking a speech discrimination test with background noise, as this is when people with hearing loss have the most difficulty in comprehending what others are saying. An aided v unaided test will then compare how well you are able to hear and understand other people speaking with a hearing aid in place, and then without it.

Tympanograms and reflex tests

Tympanogram tests are designed to measure the flexibility of the tympanic membrane (more commonly known as the eardrum), as this can indicate a middle ear problem that causes conductive hearing loss. If the results of the tympanogram are normal, the way the acoustic muscle reflex in the middle ear reacts to different sounds is assessed, as this is also an indicator as to how well your auditory system and hearing is functioning.