Hearing loss

Signs to look for

• Asking people to repeat themselves, especially in busy places.
• Turning up the television or struggling on the phone.
• Hearing less clearly in one ear, or feeling that an ear is blocked.

What can cause hearing loss?

Wax, an infection or fluid behind the eardrum may block sound. Ageing and loud noise can damage the inner ear. These causes need different treatment.

What happens at the appointment?

The doctor checks the ear canal and eardrum. A hearing test measures the sounds you can hear; speech testing may check how clearly you understand words. Bring old hearing reports, your hearing aids and a list of medicines.

What can help?

Removing wax or treating an ear problem may improve hearing. Lasting hearing loss may be helped by hearing aids, listening devices and communication support. An implant assessment is an option for some people who get too little benefit from hearing aids.

Sudden hearing loss: a medical emergency

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a drop in hearing, in one or both ears, that comes on over minutes, hours or a few days. It can feel like wax or a blocked ear, but it is an inner-ear emergency, not a blockage, and it needs same-day ENT assessment.

• Hearing drops suddenly, or you notice it on waking.
• A full or blocked feeling in one ear with no improvement.
• Ringing (tinnitus) or dizziness alongside the hearing change.
• Difficulty understanding words on the phone in the affected ear.

Do not wait to see whether wax drops or decongestants help. The chance of recovering hearing is highest when treatment, usually corticosteroids, starts within the first 24 to 72 hours. Every day of delay reduces how much hearing can be regained, so this is treated as urgently as a stroke or a sudden loss of vision.

Choosing a good hearing aid

When hearing loss is lasting, the right hearing aid — well fitted and properly programmed — makes the biggest difference to daily life. A good hearing aid is not just about volume; it is matched to your hearing test, the shape of your ear and the listening situations that matter to you, such as conversation, television or busy restaurants.

• Fitted and fine-tuned to your own hearing test, not bought off the shelf.
• Comfortable for all-day wear, with rechargeable options now widely available.
• Features such as noise reduction and directional microphones help with speech in noisy places.
• Follow-up adjustments after fitting matter as much as the device itself.

A trial period and an honest discussion of your budget and lifestyle help you choose a hearing aid you will actually wear. Poorly fitted devices are a common reason people give up on hearing aids, so proper fitting and follow-up are as important as the hearing aid's price or brand.