Hearing Aids

No. Hearing aids are prescription hearing devices, and a hearing test is necessary to determine the prescription you need.

Hearing aids can help the vast majority of hearing losses, but there are some situations where individuals don’t find them beneficial. This is why our hearing aids come with a 30 day trial.

Yes. Wireless devices should be kept at least 15cm away from a pacemaker, so it’s perfectly safe to wear hearing aids. If you have a wireless hearing aid accessory, such as a remote control, please remember to always keep it away from your chest (i.e. do not place it in your shirt pocket).

If the hearing loss is affecting your quality of life, you should consider a hearing aid. It’s important to address a hearing loss as early as possible, even if it’s mild. Most people with mild hearing loss are surprised with how much they were missing after trying hearing aids for the first time.

We are more than happy to test, diagnose and guide you through any issues you might have with your hearing aids. Where possible we will resolve any repairs in our clinic, but if your device needs to go away to the manufacturer, we will be on hand to assist and get the device working again.

This is possible, but it really depends on your hearing test results and the environments that you have difficulty hearing in. We can certainly trial any hearing aids you have been recommended if they’re suitable and of a particular interest to you.

Yes. We do have a thorough follow up process which would normally happen in the first couple months of the hearing aids being fitted, however we can adjust this to suit your needs and travel arrangements. It is now possible to remotely adjust the settings on your hearing aids too, so if you are overseas your audiologist will be able to remotely connect to the hearing aids and make adjustments to the settings from the practice.

Rechargeable options are often preferable for dexterity and ease, as well as from a cost perspective. They are often slightly larger in size however, albeit marginally so. As well as this there are currently no invisible in the ear devices that come in a rechargeable option, therefore this is something to bear in mind when discussing styles of hearing aids with your audiologist.

Hearing aids come in various different technology levels, which revolve around the clarity that the hearing aids can provide, how well they cope in background noise, and the degree of automation that the hearing aids have. Your audiologist will go into detail on the ones that they feel are most appropriate based on your lifestyle and hearing test results.

Your audiologist will show you the most appropriate way to watch the television with your hearing aids. Some hearing aids have Bluetooth connectivity and it is possible to stream sound from your telephone or television to your hearing aids.

Your audiologist will go through the insertion process during your hearing aid fitting appointment, depending on your type of hearing aid, and this will be practiced at length within this appointment until you are confident with inserting the hearing aids yourself.

They are, and we would advise these to be recycled as you would with ordinary batteries, in the battery recycle bins you often find at supermarkets. Alternatively, you can drop these into us and we can recycle them for you.

With Harley Street Hearing, part of your aftercare is a two years’ supply of batteries. Following this, you can purchase them through us. The batteries are universally colour coded, so if you are abroad you should be able to locate some wherever you are based.

Most hearing aids are water-resistant but not waterproof. So if your hearing aid does get wet we recommend placing it in a drying kit to allow the moisture to dry out. If this is to no avail come by the practice and we will organise a repair and loan hearing aid.

First and foremost change the battery, followed by the wax filter if it still doesn’t come to life. If it still doesn’t work then call the practice and we will book you in to see one of our audiologists to diagnose any issues with your hearing aid. If it can’t be repaired in clinic we may have to send it off to the manufacturers for repair, and we will loan you a hearing aid in the meantime.

A full charge takes 3 hours and will provide you a full 24 hours’ worth of battery life. If you forget to charge them, a quick 30 minutes of charging will provide you with 6 hours of battery life.

This all depends on the hearing aids and the batteries that they use:

• Invisible in canal (IIC) size 10 hearing aid batteries: 3-5 days
• Receiver in the ear (RITE) size 312 hearing aid batteries: 5-10 days
• Behind the ear (BTE) size 13 hearing aid batteries: 7-10 days
• Phonak Lyric extended wear hearing aid: 2-3 months

Whistling is normally caused by one of two things; either wax in the ear canal, or an earmould that isn’t fitted correctly. Both of which cause amplified sound to leak out of the ear canal and to be picked up by the hearing aid. There’s not a lot that you can do at home so if you experience whistling we would advise you to book in with one of our audiologists to assess the issue.

All degrees of hearing loss can affect one’s quality of life, causing difficulty in everyday situations. Today’s hearing aids can be helpful even for mild hearing losses, so if you’re experiencing problems with your hearing, it’s important to have a hearing assessment and discuss the options with an audiologist.

Almost all of the new hearing aid styles these days are discrete, however, the most invisible in the ear device is the Phonak Lyric hearing aid.  Your audiologist will show you all the options available.

Payment is taken at your fitting appointment just before you leave the practice wearing your new hearing aids. There are also payment plan options for paying over a period of time using a direct debit.

Hearing aids range from £2990 to £5240 for a pair of devices, dependent on styles and levels of technology. This includes your ongoing aftercare appointments, annual check-ups, and warranty without any additional costs.

Of course!  All hearing aids are fitted on a trial basis. You have a 30 day trial period to acclimatise to the use of your hearing technology and if needed this can be extended until you are completely satisfied.  If you get to the end of the trial and are not completely satisfied then it is possible to exchange your hearing aids for a different set instead at no further cost. Patients rarely choose to return their hearing aids, however, should this be the case we will organise a refund.

As a fully independent audiological practice, we work with ALL manufacturers. We choose the best hearing technology for you, ensuring that you reach your full hearing potential.

No, hearing aids come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and technology levels. They are always programmed to your individual prescription, and some of them are custom-made – so each hearing aid is unique!

We have access to ALL hearing aids, and the most appropriate hearing aids really depends on you and what you need from your hearing aids; so, whether you’re a musician, retired, or have a busy life with varied listening situations, after we assess your hearing and lifestyle we will able to recommend the most appropriate hearing aid specifically for you.

At Harley Street Hearing, we are a fully independent clinic and are not tied to any specific hearing aid manufacturer so the hearing aids we present to you will always be the best for your individual requirements.