It has been revealed that almost a third of British people would not feel comfortable wearing a hearing aid, compared to over 80 per cent who wouldn’t object to wearing glasses.
Responding to the poll which was carried out for Siemens Hearing, audiologist Rob Ryman said, “The majority of Brits seem to be stuck in a time warp when it comes to their perception of hearing. The fact that more than twice the number of people would feel happier wearing glasses than a hearing instrument demonstrates that people probably still think of hearing instruments as clunky, protruding, banana-shaped devices.”
“If this is the case, it’s hardly surprising that our hearing is relegated on our list of priorities,” he added, pointing to statistics which show that 81 per cent of people have never had a hearing test, compared to just 10 per cent that have never visited an optician.
1 in 7 people suffer from hearing loss in the UK but with so few people taking hearing tests, many are not aware of their impairment, especially if it is slight.
The main reason often given for not using a hearing aid is that they are unfashionable, but Rob Ryman argues that it wasn’t long ago that glasses were viewed in a similar way. “They haven’t always been the trendy, hi-design fashion accessory they have become today,” he says.
To counter this perception, Siemens Hearing has launched a new range of hearing aids that are small, discreet and fashionable. The colour of the hearing aid can be changed on a daily basis to match different clothes and many can even be linked to MP3 players.
For a free online hearing test and for more information on Siemens new range of hearing aids visit www.siemens.co.uk/hearing.