Abstract

Up to 3 million people in Britain might be helped by hearing aids.^{1 2} Most are over 65 years of age, but some are infants. All should be referred to specialist centres for assessment as soon as possible. Hearing aids generally help most in disorders of the middle ear (conductive hearing loss); they can also help those with sensorineural and other forms of hearing loss. The use of an aid often needs to be supplemented by lip reading and other means of auditory training.^{1 3}