Research done in 2021* reveals that over a third of Brits admit to experiencing problems with their hearing. Of those, less than 20% have visited a hearing professional for advice and alarmingly, over a quarter said they had no plans to.

The results from the study of 2,000 UK adults* show that mostly, Brits are willing to wait to seek treatment until their hearing gets worse or effects their quality of life. Over half of the Brits experiencing changes to their hearing, think that their hearing loss ‘isn’t that bad’. In stark contrast to these figures, Brits are much more concerned about noticing a difference with their eyesight, as 83% agreed that they would book an eye test as soon as they noticed a problem with their sight. Over three quarters said they would book an eye test if they experienced regular headaches.

The survey also revealed that almost half (47%) of Brits that have been diagnosed with hearing loss and choose not to wear hearing aids, do so because they ‘cope’ without, and even Brits that do have hearing aids are choosing not to wear them because they believe they also cope without (27%).

Thomas Behrens, Global Head of Audiology, Oticon commented: “It is really important that hearing loss is treated. Even if a person feels they are coping, they are potentially putting themselves at risk for future health problems, not to mention missing out on a full hearing experience. Hearing loss is degenerative, worsening with age and noise exposure, and if we allow ourselves to get used to reduced hearing, we can often not realise just how bad it has become. Most importantly, people do not realise that they are not the best version of themselves. With hearing loss, the brain has to work harder and becomes overloaded, which makes you more tired, and the brain has less capacity to remember, so really, untreated hearing loss challenges who you are as a person.”

*The survey is commissioned by Oticon, asking 2,700 national representatives of The United Kingdom.