How Mr David Edwards was exposed to noise during his military service:
Mr Edwards was in the Royal Navy from 1966-1977, he worked in the engine rooms which were very loud. There was no hearing protection offered, the ship he was based on had 12 engines! He was also exposed to noise whilst working in the radio rooms and using headsets during this time.
The affects of his hearing loss:
David was wearing a pair of NHS hearing aids but still struggled on a daily basis with his hearing loss. He could not hear people very clearly and it was difficult when he was trying to have a conversation with people across a counter, such as the doctors etc. Mr Edwards also struggled watching the television as he could not understand all that was being said.
Medical History:
On his hearing assessments it shows a mild-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is typically associated with difficulty in complex listening environments in which there are competing background noises. Softly spoken speakers and conversations over a distance will be difficult for a person with this hearing loss, especially if they are unable to see the speakers face. The preferred volume of the television or radio for a person with this type of loss is too loud for normal hearing individuals. As the loss is across all frequencies, even general 1:1 conversation and conversation over the phone may require repetition.
Recommendation- To Now:
Mr Edwards was recommended the Oticon Opn S1 T Rechargable technology hearing aids by his audiologists Tim Cleave at Imperial Hearing. The reason for this recommendation is that this new platform which will offer more cognitive support for Mr Edwards. When set using the appropriate occlusion the system will give him access to a more shaped sound than his NHS hearing aids because of the many more channels it has and therefore he can experience better speech discrimination.
We are delighted to share that Mr Edwards was fitted with his hearing aids in 2020, he will continue to receive our ongoing support as part of his aftercare service with his hearing aids.
We wish David all the best with hearing well again!
