Frequently Asked Questions:

If you suspect you have a hearing problem and you don’t have a wax blockage that is causing the problem, then a hearing test can allow us to see what sounds you hear well, and what sounds you struggle to hear. These results can be used to program a hearing aid to help restore your ability to hear clearly.

People with a hearing loss often experience difficulty in hearing in background noise. Correcting a hearing loss with good hearing aid technology can allow the person to communicate more easily and lessen the feeling of isolation.

If you have a hearing loss, hearing the TV can be tricky. Good fitting hearing aids can help with this. There are also personal listening systems that can be used to transmit the TV sound signal to a set of headphones that the watcher can wear. Also, do use subtitles, they really can help.

Often a hearing loss (caused by damage to the hearing system or by a blockage of wax) will cause speech to sound muffled. Removing the wax and/or treating the hearing loss with aids will allow you to hear clearly again.

One of the symptoms of a high frequency or age related hearing loss is a lack of clarity when listening to speech. Good quality, well programmed hearing aids can help restore the clarity to speech.

Firstly, make sure a wax blockage is not the cause of the hearing loss. Secondly, book an appointment to have your hearing assessed. Audiologists will test your hearing and your ability to hear speech in background noise. With these results, our audiologists can help you find the right solution to help you hear clearly.

Damage to the hearing system can be caused in many ways. Two of the most common causes are age related and noise induced hearing loss. The hair cells in your cochlear that send signals to your brain become damaged and stop sending the whole signal for some sounds. This means your brain receives an incomplete message about what sound you heard.

Background noises can be louder than a voice, or can obscure the key parts of a word. It means that people sound like they’re mumbling or you can mishear a word.

In the pub there is a high level of background noise, this will compete with the speech that  you are trying to listen to and may in some cases, obscure the speech signal. This can result in difficulty communicating and for the person to withdraw from social situations.

We all rely on additional information to hear what someone is saying. We use lipreading and facial expressions to add more information to their speech. With a mask on, these cues are lost. For someone with a hearing loss, losing this information can really hinder their ability to understand what someone is saying. The mask will also form a barrier that physically reduces the amount of sound that available to listen to.

The process of HABITUATION occurs whereby the brain pays less attention to the tinnitus sounds, they reduce in volume, you perceive the sound less and less until it reduces into the background. Some people find the sound disappears altogether, some people find it reduces to a manageable level but is still detectable.

Tinnitus is the name given to ringing in the ears. Make sure to wear suitable hearing protection if you are exposed to loud sounds. Have a look on the British Tinnitus Website www.tinnitus.org.uk and contact us at Lakeland Hearing for a tinnitus consultation.

Pulsatile tinnitus can occur where the person hears their pulse in their ear. Please see your GP or an Audiologist to ensure this is investigated properly to rule out any additional conditions. High blood pressure can cause pulsatile tinnitus.

Tinnitus is the name given to a ringing sound with no external source – that it, there is nothing outside of your body that is making the sounds. The sound(s) are internal body noises that your brain has started to listen to. The brain pays attention to these sounds for the first time and you hear tinnitus.

Employees have a responsibility to make use of hearing protection provided. The protection is there to save your hearing for the future. If you work in a noisy environment you are risk of damaging your hearing resulting in a hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

Noise induced hearing loss is the second biggest cause of hearing loss and is entirely preventable with the correct hearing protection. Please invest in hearing protection now, to save your hearing in the future.

Simple foam inserts will provide a certain level of protection from loud sounds. For more specific needs, custom made hearing protection may be needed. The audiologist would take an impression of your ears and the manufacturer makes hearing protection to the required level that fits your ear exactly. Valves can be inserted into the hearing protection to allow easy communication.

Sudden, very loud sounds or prolonged exposure to loud sounds without the correct hearing protection can cause hearing loss. Simple foam ear plugs can work well, however if you have more specialised needs, custom made hearing protection with the correct rating may be more suitable.

There are levels of noise exposure which must not be exceeded in the work place, these are called exposure limit values. Daily or weekly exposure of 87dB or peak sound pressure of 140dB must not be exceeded. Both employers and employees have a duty to ensure safe working conditions and hearing protection is supplied and worn.

It is vital to stop water entering your ear canal if you have a hole/perforation in your ear drum or if you have had grommets inserted. It is also recommended if you swim in cold water regularly. Wearing swim plugs will stop exostosis forming  – these are bony growths in your ear canal. Otitis Externa or “swimmers ear” is a bacterial infection that can arise due to water being stuck in your ear. Using ear plugs allows your ears to stay dry and reduces the risk of infection.

Ear plugs will stop water entering your ear canal. This is vital if you have a hole or perforation in your ear drum. It is also recommended if you swim in cold water regularly. Wearing swim plugs will stop exostosis forming  – these are bony growths in your ear canal.

This is down to personal preference and individual ears. If the standard generic swim plugs fit your ears well, then these will be sufficient. If your ears are an unusual shape, you have very tiny ears or you want something that will stand the test of time, then custom made swim plugs could be the best option. Custom made ear plugs are made specifically for your ears by using a cast to form the exact shape.

When ear wax blocks your ear canal, sounds from the outside world can be reduced and seem muffled. When your hearing is impaired, you might experience tinnitus – buzzing, ringing or other noises heard in your head. When the ear wax is removed and hearing restored, the tinnitus usually subsides.

Olive oil or over the counter ear drops containing an active ingredient such as bicarbonate of soda or hydrogen peroxide can be used to try and break up the blockage. If this does not work, please contact us at Lakeland Hearing for an ear wax removal appointment where a fully trained and qualified individual will remove it safely. Please be aware that drops containing bicarbonate of soda or hydrogen peroxide should only be used for 3-4 days at the most. Prolonged use can cause damage to your ears.

The first thing to check would be ear wax. If there is a blockage we can safely remove it and restore your hearing. If there is no wax blocking, you made need a hearing assessment to determine the level of your hearing loss and to create a management plan tailored to you.

No, the procedure should not be painful. Occasionally there will be slight discomfort if dry hard wax is removed however if you follow our instructions on using oil to prepare the ear prior to the appointment, then the procedure will be pain free.

If your ears are blocked with wax, there is a barrier in the way of sound reaching your inner ear. This can results in reduced hearing. Once the wax is removed, normal hearing should be restored. If this is not the case, further investigation should be done with a hearing assessment to identify any hearing loss.

There are many brands of drops available. Typically they fall into three categories. Olive oil, those containing bicarbonate of soda and those containing hydrogen peroxide. Please be aware that prolonged use of the second two categories should be avoided as it may cause damage to your ears.

Ear wax is a protective secretion produced by modified sweat glands in your ear. A small amount of wax is normal and healthy. It acts as a natural barrier to dust and debris and being slightly acidic means it is inhospitable to bacteria.

Irrigation uses a gentle pulsing of warm water to wash the excess ear wax out of a clients ear. This method or ear wax removal cannot be done if someone has a grommet or open perforation of their ear drum.

Microsuction is a method of removing excess ear wax whereby a fine tube is placed into the ear and the wax is extracted through suction.

Ear wax is a protective secretion produced by modified sweat glands in your ear. A small amount of wax is normal and healthy. When the wax blocks up your ear canal however, it can cause issues with your hearing.

If ear wax builds up inside your ears, it can lead to itching in your ears – this needs to be removed by a fully qualified individual at an ear wax removal appointment. Conversely, not enough wax can cause dry skin in your ears which can also lead to itching.

If ear wax causes a blockage in your ear canal, it will act as a physical barrier and stop the sound waves reaching your ear drum, this will result in reduced hearing.

A hearing aid that fits entirely into your ear canal is called an Invisible In the Canal aid. These aids are small and discrete but their size means there is a compromise on additional features such as volume control, lack of rechargeability and Bluetooth streaming. There can be limitations on what hearing loss would be best served by a tiny in the ear hearing aid also known as a “nano or “IIC” hearing aid.

If you feel you have an issue with your ears or hearing, it is best to get it checked out by an Audiologist or Hearing Aid Dispenser, this will probably involve a hearing assessment. If you are over the age of 75 or have diabetes, an annual hearing assessment is a good idea to monitor hearing levels and track any changes.

No, there are safe level limits (Maximum power outputs) in place so the hearing aid cannot cause damage to your hearing. These are set when the hearing aid is programmed to your hearing levels. Wearing a hearing aid will not make your hearing “lazy” either. In fact, the opposite is true. The more you hear and make use of your hearing system, the better it is for the health of your brain.

If you don’t wear a hearing aid this will not alter your hearing threshold levels as recorded by a hearing test. It may however reduce your ability to actually listen and process the sounds. You hear with your ears but listen with your brain.

Hearing aids are amplification devices that are worn in or on the ear. They take in sound, process the sound and add amplification to the sound before presenting in the persons ear. They can correct hearing loss and allow the person to hear better with less effort.

You may struggle to communicate with others which can lead ultimately to social isolation and withdrawing from society. This can have a negative effect on your brain health and has even been linked to the onset of dementia.

Hearing aids are provided for free by the NHS although they may charge an admin fee if the hearing aids are lost. Private hearing aids are purchased by the client. Hearing aids from the private sector will often be a more up to date technology than the aids provided by the NHS. Hearing tests and fitting of the hearing aids should be the same as we all work to the same standards and guidelines. You may find you have more time and more accessibility to clinicians privately than in the NHS.

If you feel like your daily life is negatively affected by your hearing loss then any level of hearing loss can be helped by  hearing aids. If you hearing levels drop to the point where a typical hearing aid is not providing any benefit then a cochlear implant may be worth investigating.

Do you feel like your life is impacted in a negative way by your hearing loss? Are there things you have stopped doing due to your hearing loss? A hearing aid will allow you to carry on living life as you wish. You can stay connected to people and communicate easier which prevents social isolation.

If you have a hearing loss which has been identified in a hearing assessment it is recommended that you wear a hearing aid to correct the hearing loss. If you do not correct a hearing loss with a hearing aid, it can lead to tiredness, social isolation, poor communication, poor short term memory and it has even been linked to an increase in risk of dementia.