for the day: What happened when I had special ear plugs fitted to
simulate hearing loss
By Barney Calman
Last updated at 2:13 AM on 26th December 2010
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Have you ever been to a packed Christmas party and struggled to hear
what people are saying - even though they appear to be speaking loudly?
You may suffer from the annoying 'cocktail party syndrome' - and this
is the prime time of year for things to come to a head.
Around nine million Britons are deaf or hard of hearing. It can occur at
any age, but the majority are over 50, and more than 70 per cent over 70
suffer to some degree.
Barney Calman found it hard to communicate at work with the earplugs
Many are not even aware they have a problem, according to Specsavers
audiologist Mark Edgar. Patients he sees have suffered for many years
without treatment.
'Although it can happen suddenly as a result of trauma, such as a blow
to the head, a very loud noise or an infection, hearing loss usually
happens gradually,' says Edgar.
'Many sufferers do not realise they have a problem and only seek help
when friends become so annoyed at having to repeat themselves that they
force them to visit a hearing specialist.
'Hearing loss makes differentiating sounds in noisy environments
particularly difficult. We get an influx of patients who first notice
their difficulties over Christmas.'
I find the idea of losing my hearing terrifying. I play various
instruments, including guitar in a band - something I have done since
my early teens.
But if my love of music is actually harming my ears, it is highly likely
that I will suffer hearing loss. So it was with trepidation that I
agreed when Specsavers challenged me to go deaf for a day - thanks to
specially moulded earplugs that would simulate hearing loss.
All Specsavers audiologists are encouraged to wear the plugs as part of
their training, to help them understand what the world sounds like to
those who are going deaf. They hope my experience of hearing loss will
encourage others to seek help.
Barney struggles at a business dinner
I arrive at Specsavers, but before Edgar fits my earplugs, I am given a
hearing test. This involves sitting in a soundproof booth and pressing a
button every time I hear a tone of various pitches and volumes through
headphones.
Hearing loss is defined according to the quietest sounds, measured in
decibels, which can be heard. Mild hearing loss can cause difficulty
following speech, mainly in noisy situations. The quietest sounds you
can hear are 25 to 39 decibels - a whisper.
Those with moderate deafness find the quietest sounds they can hear are
40 to 69 decibels, the level of normal conversation.Those with severe
deafness rely on lip-reading, even with a hearing aid, as the quietest
sounds they hear are 70 to 94 decibels - loud shouting.
'Within the inner ear is a structure, called the cochlea, which is lined
with sound-sensitive hair cells,' explains Edgar.
'Noises cause these tiny hairs to vibrate, stimulating the auditory
nerve and sending messages to the brain, where they are interpreted as
sound. We all have a finite number of hair cells and once they die, they
are not replaced.
'They die as a natural part of ageing, but how quickly this happens
depends on exposure to loud noises - which can prematurely damage the
hair cells - over a lifetime.'
I am reassured that despite a misspent youth with my electric guitar
turned up to 11, my hearing is normal for a 31-year-old.
The earplugs I am going to wear are made of blue putty which is injected
harmlessly into the ear canal and then hardens. I feel a faint pressure.
And then silence.
I had half expected to panic, feel trapped and tear them out immediately
but it is actually relaxing. It's like covering your ears with the palms
of your hands. While looking in the mirror at what appear to be large
bits of Blu-Tack in my ears, I become aware of a murmuring, turn around
and realise Edgar has been talking to me.
Standing just a few metres away, I cannot make out his voice at all. As
we say our goodbyes I have to focus on what he is saying - it becomes
tiring almost immediately.
Would I break down in frustration or wander into fast-moving traffic?
Edgware Road is one of the busiest highways in London, yet despite the
rush-hour traffic, the world is eerily quiet as I step on to the street.
I can't even hear my own footsteps.
I worried about crossing roads but this is something you really use your
eyes rather than ears for. I flag down a cab and notice the driver
winces as I yell my destination, unable to judge the volume of my own
voice.
I feel oddly disconnected. It is not unpleasant, just strange.
Back at my desk, the bustle and noise of the office is blanked out and I
concentrate on work far more easily. I think I'm doing pretty well until
I realise I have been ignoring my boss for the past couple of minutes.
Some voices, I discover, are much harder to hear than others. It seems
to have nothing to do with the pitch, or whether they are male or female.
In music they call the 'colour' of a sound the timbre, and this quality
seems to make my boss incomprehensible. Even when she is speaking loudly
I have to ask her to repeat herself (I'm not sure who is more irritated
by this). 'It's going to be a long day,' deadpans a colleague which,
oddly, I hear perfectly.
I continue to alternate between shouting and mumbling, much to
everyone's amusement, and by mid-afternoon I am doing no better. 'It's
like trying to talk to my mother,' says another colleague in exasperation.
'There's a delay before you answer.'
I have to take a second or so to mentally process what a person says
before I can reply, and it is exhausting.
After work, I have a business dinner with a PR at a busy Central London
restaurant. With the loud chattering and clinking around me it is even
harder to make out my companion's voice. By the end of the meal, which
takes a long time as I have to stop eating to concentrate fully to hear,
I am drained from focusing so hard.
On my walk home I yank out the earplugs, and everything is crystal
clear - I can hear the crunch of my shoes on the wet pavement, the
rustle of leaves, cars and sirens in the distance. It is such a relief.
It is not dramatic or awful being a bit hard of hearing, but you do miss
out on so much. And I would hate to get to the point where I am annoying
everyone around me. If I start to notice problems, I won't put off
seeking help.
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Comments (3)
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I have a grandson that was born with a hearing loss in both ears.
However his is related to the nerve going from the inner ear to the
brain, something that I find no research on. He has learned to get by
with hearing aides and extensive training. He has some sounds which he
will never hear such as "s's". Within the context of a sentence he "adds
in" these sounds. His adaption to everyday life makes me very proud.
- Stephanie, Florida, 27/12/2010 02:23
Click to rate Rating 19
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I'm deaf ( totally ) on one side........and get raging tinnitus on the
other....going to a party for example is a total pain becuase i can
hardly ever hear what people are saying. And when i explain to friends
AND family.....all i get is "Oh it cant be THAT BAD ! wanna bet ?
- Charles, London, 26/12/2010 20:40
Click to rate Rating 35
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Pity so little is spent on research into deafness compared to blindness
yet it can be almost as much as a disability and hearing aids are no
answer or cure.
- anon, london, 26/12/2010 12:35
Click to rate Rating 26
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I'm 23 and I was born deaf all my life. Few things that really saves my
life. I know few things can be a lot effort but worth having that to
make your life a lot easier. - Get a hearing aid or a cochlear implant
(If your hearing gets worse.) - Go to free lip-reading lesson (Usually
found in some college and school or hospital) - A pocket notepad and pen
(Just incase) - Learn sign language (College, school or a private sign
language teacher will teach you at home) - Skype, mobile phone, minicom,
email. All these available technology to help us to use communication. I
know this sounds too much effort for you. It really helps. None of these
makes you look stupid. Without having a help will make you look stupid
and make your life a lot harder (Trust me) Remember you are not alone.
Get all the help you need as much you can.
- DDjeddy, Wilmslow, 26/12/2010 11:59
Click to rate Rating 25
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Specsavers got it wrong. Deafness is often a noisy place with tinnitus
continually in one or both ears. What they should have done is to put
noise generators in each of the reporter's ears that occasionally went
loud and could not be stopped. Then the reporter should have been sent
to catch an aircraft or a train where he had to respond to public
address announcements. That is without the risk of not hearing warning
shouts or car horns. Deafness is not peaceful.
- Ian W, Reading, UK, 26/12/2010 10:02
Click to rate Rating 31
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