Do I have hearing loss?

Early signs of hearing loss include:

• difficulty hearing other people clearly and misunderstanding what they say, especially in noisy places
• asking people to repeat themselves
• listening to music or watching TV with the volume higher than other people need
• difficulty hearing on the phone
• finding it hard to keep up with a conversation
• feeling tired or stressed from having to concentrate while listening

Signs of a hearing problem in one ear include:

• your hearing is worse when sound comes from one side
• all sounds seem generally quieter than usual
• finding it hard to tell where sound is coming from
• difficulty ignoring background noise or telling different sounds apart
• finding speech unclear
• difficulty hearing in noisy places or over long distances

Types of hearing loss

While partial loss of hearing is most commonly linked to age, hearing impairment can affect people of all ages. Other types of hearing impairment include:

• Conductive hearing loss – This relates to problems within the ear canal, drum or middle ear.
• Noise induced hearing loss – This can be caused by sudden loud noises or exposure to loud sounds over long periods of time.
• Sensorineural hearing loss – A condition that affects the nerves of the inner ear.

What should you do if you suspect you have hearing loss?

Book an appointment to see our Audiologist, an Audiologist is a health care professional qualified to do a thorough evaluation of your hearing. The audiologist can determine your type and degree of hearing loss and whether or not you can be helped by hearing aids and, if so, the best type of hearing aid for you. The audiologist will recommend a treatment program to assist you with your communication needs and, if indicated, may recommend a medical evaluation.

Hearing aids

Hearing aids come in a variety of different styles and are designed to be as sleek and discreet as possible to help you hear the world around you clearly.

We have hearing aid solutions that range from almost invisible styles that fit discreetly inside the ear, to those that sit comfortably behind the ear. You can even choose devices that connect wirelessly to your mobile smartphone.

We work with some of the world’s leading manufacturers, offering hearing aids that are small, light and can help you make the most of your listening experiences, whether you’re watching TV, or attending the theatre or a social occasion.

Hearing aid types

Our digital hearing aids use the latest cutting edge technology to help you make perfect sense of the sounds around you. We’ll be able to provide you with the right type of hearing aid whether you have mild, moderate or severe hearing loss.

• Invisible hearing aids – Custom made to fit discreetly inside the ear canal.
• Behind the ear hearing aids – Slim designs that fit snugly behind the ear.
• In-ear hearing aids – Small in size but big on technology, and customisable to your needs.
• CROS hearing aids – Tailor-made for those with dead ear in one side
• Bluetooth hearing aids – Options to connect wirelessly to your smartphone so you can stream music or make calls.
• Rechargeable hearing aids – Reliable and convenient Li-ion powered hearing aids.

How do hearing aids work?

Hearing aids can provide the assistance you may need to being able to hear the world around you in full colour.

Hearing aids pick up all the amazing sounds around you, they process the sounds and release the signal back into your ear - all instantaneously giving you a rounded 360 degree listening experience customised just for you.

Hearing Aids are available with two types of technology: analogue and digital.

Hearing aid components:

There are different types of hearing solutions available, but they all have the same five key components:

1. Microphone - The microphone on the outside of the hearing aid picks up sound from the air as it enters the ear and converts sound waves into digital signals
2. Microchip - a miniature computer that enables our expert Audiologists customise your hearing solution giving you the joy of re-connecting with the world around you.
3. Amplifier - The amplifier strengthens the digital signals.
4. Battery - A tiny battery powers the hearing aid.
5. Receiver - The speaker converts the digital signals into vibrations that then pass through the inner ear to the brain.

Analogue Hearing aids

Analogue hearing aids, which are not often used now, will pick up the sound, translate it into an electrical signal, amplify it, and then feed it back into the ear.

Some analogue hearing aids can detect whether sounds are loud or quiet and therefore whether they need to be amplified or not. This means that they will recognise that loud sounds, such as traffic, do not need further amplification. This feature is known as "automatic gain control".

Digital Hearing aids

Digital hearing aids comprise of much more scientific knowledge and cutting edge Smart technology than analogue aids. They contain a silicon chip comprising of millions of electrical components that continuously process incoming sounds, convert them into clearer and more audible sounds and then release these at the appropriate sound level into the ear so that you can understand them. The forward thinking technology allows the hearing aid to distinguish between sounds that need to be amplified and unwanted noise that needs to be reduced. This differentiation allows you to distinguish similar sounding speech sounds much more clearly.

Due to the pioneering technology, digital hearing aids are customised to work with your degree of hearing loss and personal lifestyle.

The sophistication of the technology used in digital hearing aids enables you stay connected to the world around you and benefit from being able to watch the TV whilst taking part in conversations, locate where sounds are coming from, eliminate whistling and feedback whilst on the phone or hugging someone, and with wireless technology available you can connect your hearing aids to a mobile phone, tablet, TV, computer or stereo system.

Our latest digital hearing aids are discreet, lightweight and contain a sophisticated microchip that means we can fine tune and completely personalise a digital hearing solution to improve your specific hearing problems. This technology can make hearing well less of an effort even in the presence of background noise, allowing you to lead the life you want.

Finding the most suitable hearing aid for your needs

The world of hearing aids has changed so much over the years and today’s latest pioneering technology is in a league of its own. With sleek, slimline styles that fit discreetly behind the ear to the tiny invisible styles that fit completely in the ear canal. There’s so much talk about smart devices, even our hearing aids are smart.

Smart hearing aids connect to smart devices and stream sound directly to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Smart hearing works so intuitively that the main thing you will notice is the surprisingly new ways hearing aids can change your life. Other types of hearing solutions are full of clear sound quality and provide high performance listening abilities to instantly deliver you sounds from around you for a variety of different environments automatically.

At Gatwick Audiology, our expert Clinical Audiologist, Prince Punnoose, will take the time to listen to you hearing challenges, understand the difficulties you may be experiencing with your hearing. He will then advise the best solution for you and your hearing needs.