1 in 5 people worldwide have a hearing loss.
In the UK alone, 86% of those who have a hearing loss are not aware of it, putting these individuals at risk of social isolation and experiencing negative health outcomes, including cognitive decline and dementia, falls, depression, increased number of hospitalization, reduced career prospects and a general decline in quality of life (Reed et al., 2019).
OVER 65% OF ADULTS AGED 60+ YEARS EXPERIENCE HEARING LOSS
PREVALENCE IS DRIVEN BY DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT TOWARDS THE ELDERLY
EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF HEARING LOSS IS KEY TO EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
CURRENT SCREENING TESTS FALL SHORT OF MARKET NEEDS
RISK OF SOCIAL ISOLATION
INCREASES RISK OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
LINKED TO EARLY ONSET OF DEMENTIA
ECONOMIC IMPACT AND LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT
Hearing screening is the most efficient means to address unmanaged hearing loss.
But current tests are notoriously unreliable, leaving as many as 2 out of 10 patients with the wrong diagnosis.
Poor accuracy and sensitivity to background noise in current methods has hindered wider adoption of hearing screening in both public and private healthcare.