An entirely positive and pleasant experience
The initial visit was to assess the state of my hearing. This was achieved in stages, first by a simple and painless examination of my outer ear, including taking photos of my eardrums, which were in good condition, then by exposing me to a range of different computer-generated sounds and my responding according to whether I could hear them or not. Each ear was tested separately, and the results were collated by the computer and shown as a scattergram, one for each ear. The expert who conducted the tests explained carefully and in non-tehcnical language what was happening, so it was easy for me to understand where we were going. She explained that the scatter of dots on the screen indicated a level of hearing, in both ears, that was significantly lower than it must have been 50 years ago. I had been aware that my hearing had gradually deteriorated for the last 40 years, probably because of noise levels at work, and the assessment confirmed that there had been a level of heraing loss probably because of irreversible wear and tear on the inner ear. After that a range of options was discussed, and a variety of hearing aids at different price levels, and I made my choice. There was no sales pressure at all, and all the choices were left to me, including the colour of the aid. I asked for silver to match my hair colour, so that the aids would not be too conspicuous. I need not have worried, because on my next visit a few weeks later I tried the aids on and they were virtually invisible - small, incredibly light, and tucked well behind my ears. My expert advised me to try wearing them for 5 hours a day to begin with, but I found I was wearing them all day. I can now hear the phone and the front doorbell; I can hear everything other people say and I can hear everything on television too. I wish I had done this 5 years ago. If there is a negative aspect it is the cost, but I am getting very careful and thorough service, and I will be getting six-monthly checks, to see if my aids need adjusting or servicing. I can't praise the quality of the aids or the service highly enough. It has been an entirely positive and pleasant experience
