How Well Are Your Ears Protected?

Author: Kirsten Ellis
Published: August 09, 2016
Last reviewed by: Leightons Clinical Team
Last reviewed: February 02, 2026

Are your ears protected properly?

Do you work in a noisy environment where heavy machinery is running for long hours? Or perhaps you enjoy listening to live music, or even music through headphones as you go about your day?

Whatever your daily activities, our world is getting noisier, and it’s adversely affecting our hearing. An estimated 700 million people worldwide are living with hearing loss. Tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears, is another common complaint.

Good hearing protection helps to make sure your hearing doesn’t become damaged and deteriorate, while still allowing you to enjoy louder activities like live gigs or motorsport.

Hearing Protection

Hearing loss is caused when the tiny hair cells in our ears become damaged due to prolonged exposure to loud noises. These hair cells transmit the sound signals to our brains, so when they are damaged our hearing deteriorates. These cells cannot be regenerated and hearing loss is irreversible.

Since prevention is always better than cure, protecting your ears is the first line of defence against noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

Here are some things that you can do very easily on a daily basis:

  • Reduce the volume of your TV, radio or portable music device, especially if you’re listening to it through earphones.
  • Use noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs to protect your ears against noise. Foam earplugs are widely available, cheap (or even given away free at some venues) and can offer basic hearing protection if properly fitted.
  • Alternatively, invest in high fidelity earplugs such as Elacin ER20-S. These help reduce the sound to safer listening levels and are more comfortable to wear than foam earplugs.
  • Get custom-fit hearing protection that is comfortable for use over longer periods. There are specific earplugs if you engage in sports such as shooting, car racing or water sports.
  • If you’re a professional musician you need to take extra care as you are exposed to loud noises for longer periods. You can get bespoke hearing protection, which is custom-moulded. These specialised earplugs lower the volume to safe listening levels while maintaining clarity of music.

Hearing Tests

If you’re confused about which hearing protection could be best-suited to you, drop by your nearest Leightons branch. We have a complete range of hearing protection options. Whether you’re looking for simple earplugs or bespoke protection for musicians, we’ve got you covered.

If you have any concerns about your hearing, why not visit for a free hearing assessment? It is a comprehensive hearing test with lifestyle evaluation, so our experienced audiologists can help identify the course of action most suited to you and your lifestyle.

Whatever you love doing, we can help you find the best way to enjoy it and protect your hearing for years to come. Book an appointment online, or call us on 0800 40 20 20 and speak to one of our hearing care experts.

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How do hearing amplifiers work?
Hearing amplification devices increase the volume and might make it easier for you to hear sounds louder. Yet they not a prescribed product and do not match your individual needs. Hearing loss is extremely common – millions of people in the UK live with a hearing loss, so you’re not alone. At Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care, our expert audiologists will help you identify the best device for you, in most cases this is a Hearing Aid. What is a hearing amplifier? Much like a tiny PA system, hearing amplification devices use microphones to capture and amplify all sounds around you, before delivering it to your ear at an adequate and audible volume level. What kind of devices are available? There are plenty of hearing amplifiers designed to help you while on the telephone, watching TV, and for in-person conversations. However, these devices amplify all sounds equally and aren’t designed to support hearing loss. For an all‑round solution that adapts to your personal hearing needs, a hearing aid is often the most effective option. Our expert audiologists can assess your hearing and guide you towards the most suitable hearing aid for your lifestyle and needs. What’s the difference between a hearing aid and a hearing amplifier? All hearing aids use amplification, however, hearing aids are regulated medical devices carefully programmed and tailored to fit the hearing loss of a particular individual. This makes them more suitable for moderate to severe hearing loss. Hearing amplifiers are not medical devices and are not designed to diagnose, treat or manage hearing loss. They don’t adapt to your individual needs, meaning they offer volume without improving clarity or understanding. What are induction loops? An induction loop is an older technology system designed to help hearing aid users to hear more clearly in some specific environments. You’ll often find them in places like meeting rooms, theatres, banks, and cinemas.  Here’s how it works:  A thin cable is installed around a room or designated listening area  The system creates a magnetic field that carries speech or important sound  When you switch your hearing aid or ALDs to the T (telecoil) setting, you can hear the sound closer to you and more clear with less background noise  Induction loops can make a huge difference to day‑to‑day listening comfort. Our audiologists can help you understand how loops - and other assistive listening devices - can work with Hearing Aids.  What is Auracast? Auracast is a new Bluetooth audio technology designed to make listening more inclusive. It allows one device to broadcast high-quality sound to multiple compatible hearing aids, earbuds, or headphones at the same time, without the need for pairing. Developed with the hearing aid industry for assistive listening, Auracast could mean easier access to shared audio in public spaces such as train stations and lecture theatres. For people with hearing loss, it’s a positive step towards clearer sound and greater confidence in everyday situations. Leightons free hearing test Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care offers a free hearing test in all branches. We provide a comprehensive hearing check carried out by our experts – professionally trained hearing aid audiologists registered with the HCPC (Health & Care Professions Council), with some even members of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists. Book your free hearing test now You can book an appointment online or you can call us on 0800 40 20 20 to arrange a free hearing test at your nearest Leightons branch. Alternatively, you can take the test at home. This involves the same experienced, professional audiologist you would see in branch coming to your home to carry out your hearing test with specialist portable equipment.
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