Have you heard....Custom headphones

Music lovers are being warned that the popular 'earbud' headphones worn by users of iPods and MP3 players could lead to hearing loss.

The reason for the warning is because earbuds placed directly into the ear, can boost the sound signal by as much as six to nine decibels.

During the 1980s, when Walkman portable devices first hit the market, audiologists were warning users about potential hearing loss. Nowadays, with MP3 players topping the Christmas wish lists of people all over the world, history is repeating itself.

Hearing loss in younger people typically found in aging adults is becoming far too common. Unfortunately, the earbuds preferred by music listeners are even more likely to cause hearing loss than the muff-type earphones that were associated with the older devices because of this increase in volume.

As well as a more intense sound signal, today's music devices have longer battery life and the ability to store vast amounts of music, facts which encourage users to listen for longer periods of time than their 1980s counterparts.

MP3 devices now reach upto 110 to 120 decibels. That's a sound level that's equivalent to a jet engine and enough to cause hearing loss after only about an hour and 15 minutes.

So what can we do? One solution is the 60 percent/60 minute rule, whereby people use their MP3 devices for no more than about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume.

Noise-cancelling headphones are another suggestion because they reduce or eliminate background noise eliminating the need to turn the device up to excessive levels.These headphones can be custom made; still as descreet as the fashionable ear-bud types and far more comfortable.

They come as a sleeve which fits over any ear-bud headphone, so even if the headphones need replacing the sleeve can simply be swapped over. At less than £100 they could be the last set of headphones you ever use.

Have you heard...Acceptance

Opticians recommend that we have our eyesight tested every 2 years, and for most of us this seems normal and is accepted as a regular health check-up. Most people would agree that if they were having trouble with their eyesight they would not hesitate in visiting the doctor or optician to have it checked.

Spectacles have become something of a fashion statement of late, with plain glass lenses even being sold to give the look of wearing glasses with no medical reasoning. Glasses have been sold in a multitude of styles for years and in fact have closely reflected the style of each era in their frame shape and size.

We at Bexhill Hearing Centre believe that it won't be long until hearing aids receive the same acceptance that spectacles have today. No longer are they the big, beige embarrassments they were 10 years ago; hearing aids are now sleek, designed objects packed full of features.

The latest hearing aids can be customised to suit the fussiest of clients even changing the colour to suit their hair or match their favourite suit. Different production methods are also available with one supplier offering the first Eco-friendly production.

The product itself is a desirable gadget, which sold as a convenient audio system would do well on its own, with its Bluetooth connectivity, remote control and more, but to call it a hearing aid means that the user must first accept that they have a hearing loss; and this is where the problem lies.

A hearing loss means you’re old. A hearing loss means you’re disabled. A hearing loss means you don’t understand.

The stigma attached to a hearing loss is what prevents a great deal of people from seeking help and improving their quality of life. At Bexhill Hearing Centre we are trying to tackle that stigma and increase the acceptance of hearing loss.

Many people forget (or do not realise) that more people suffer from a hearing loss than a visual impairment, its logical really we hear more than we see. A right handed tennis player will incur more injuries on their right hand than their left due to wear and tear.

Whilst we sleep our eyes are closed, they receive no light and no stimulation, and therefore they rest for around 8 hours every day. Our ears do not close whilst we sleep; they receive sound constantly and are stimulated the whole time, hence why certain sounds (not even loud) such as a creaky floor board will wake you up.

Simple maths shows that in a lifetime we will hear for 26 years more than we see; when you put it like that it’s amazing hearing loss is not more accepted. 

Have you heard...Wireless hearing

One of the most recent developments in Hearing aid technology has been the vast range of wireless functionality now available to the hearing impaired; from a basic loop system to Bluetooth, there are now no real excuses why a hearing aid cannot fit anyone’s lifestyle.

Wireless systems offer both an improvement in audibility and in usability. One way in which audibility has been improved is through CROSS hearing where control can transmit from one ear to the other; so that pressing one aid's program button simultaneously changes the other aid, so that both aids change background settings simultaneously. CROSS hearing is particularly useful for clients with no hearing on one side, offering the opportunity to transmit that ears sound over to the other ear.

FM listening systems with wireless receivers are also available. A separate wireless microphone can be given to a partner to wear in a restaurant, in the car, during leisure time etc. which in essence places the client’s ear directly below the speakers chin; offering unmatched speech audibility by eliminating the effects of distance and background noise. FM systems can also be hooked up to a TV, Radio and other input devices.

Very similar to FM; Loop is now used in many public places as a convenient and inexpensive form of assistive listening. Very simply an audio input, be it a microphone, music etc., can be transmitted to any hearing aid user within a chosen area (as long as they have their loop program switched on) this allows everything from general announcements to individual conversations to be achieved comfortably.

Bluetooth connectivity is the most recent innovation in wireless interfacing for hearing instruments to audio sources such as TV streamers or Bluetooth enabled mobile phones. Current hearing aids generally do not stream directly via Bluetooth but rather do so through a secondary streaming device (usually worn around the neck or in a pocket), this Bluetooth enabled secondary device then streams wirelessly to the hearing aid but can only do so over a short distance.

FM systems are considered a cornerstone in the treatment of hearing loss in children as the need for the teacher to be heard is tackled simply by placing a mic transmitter round their neck. Bluetooth has bridged the gap of convenience for hearing aid users, offering all their gadgets tailored to their own hearing prescription.

Many theatres and schools are now equipped with assistive listening systems that transmit the sound directly from the stage; audience members can borrow suitable receivers and hear the program without background noise.

In a world where life itself is requiring more and more gadgets, it's good to see that the hearing impaired have a vast choice of ways to continue hearing comfortably and conveniently.