The many causes of hearing loss

During free hearing tests, we deal with patients who have suffered problems with their hearing for a variety of reasons.

Hearing loss can come about as a result of genetics, general wear and tear or, more often than not, because of a longstanding exposure to loud noises, such as music or work-related sound.

In a way, it doesn’t matter how the condition has manifested itself, it's about understanding clearly how you will go about recovering, as well as what needs to be done as soon as you notice symptoms.

Your first port of call should be the free online hearing test and from then you can call in to a Leightons branch and talk things over with our expert audiologists.

They've seen all manner of cases during their time dealing with these sorts of issues and will be able to explain how you can protect your hearing, as well as how best to improve it.

Take the example of Michael Berkeley, composer and presenter on Radio 3, who lost much of his hearing thanks to a cold virus, with the condition manifesting itself during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

For a man who had devoted his life to music, the tragedy of losing his hearing was clearly a difficult one for him and he told the Daily Mail that his initial feeling was one of panic.

Michael, who lost around 20 per cent of hearing in his left ear as a child, said: "I couldn’t hear a thing in my right ear and the hearing in my left ear was worse, too.

"I began to panic — how on earth was I supposed to compose and listen to music if I couldn’t hear? I felt like a painter who was going blind."

However, he still manages to work and enjoy his music, with the help of his hearing aid and it shows that life goes on.

As damaging and tragic as the condition can be, try your best to stay as calm and positive as you can.