There are some 9 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss. Hearing loss is the single most common birth "defect" in the UK. Approximately one third of all people aged 75 years and older have significant hearing loss and 14 percent of all people aged 45 to 64 years have demonstrable hearing loss. Hearing loss negatively impacts quality of life, personal relationships and of course, the ability to communicate.

You may have hearing loss if...

• You hear people speaking but you strain to understand their words.
• You frequently ask people to repeat what they said.
• You don’t laugh at jokes because you miss the story or the punch line.
• You frequently complain that "people mumble."
• You ask others about details of a meeting you just attended.
• You play the TV or radio louder than friends, spouse and relatives.
• You cannot hear the doorbell or the telephone.
• You find that when people look directly at you while they speak to you, it makes it easier to understand.

If you have any of these symptoms, you should see an audiologist to get an "audiometric evaluation" or AE, which is the term used to describe a diagnostic hearing test, performed by a licensed audiologist. An AE is not just pressing the button when you hear a "beep." Rather, an audiometric evaluation allows the audiologist to determine the exact type and degree of hearing loss, and it tells the audiologist how well/poorly you understand speech. After all, speech is the single most important sound we listen to and the ability to understand speech is extremely important. Your ability to hear and understand speech in quiet and noisy situations can be accurately tested by your audiologist. The AE also includes a thorough case history (interview) as well as visual inspection of the ear canal and eardrum. The results of the AE are also useful to the ear, nose and throat doctor, in the event the audiologist refers you for medical or surgical alternatives.