Since the late 1970’s the use of Bone Conduction Hearing Devices (BCHD) have been a possible way to treat conductive hearing losses (CHL) i.e. where the sound struggles to conduct through either the middle and/or outer ear. Possible situations where this may happen is when someone has a malformed ear, chronic ear canal infections, a hearing loss due to a perforation or even a condition like otosclerosis (fusion of the bones in the middle ear).

In recent years Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA) have been used for conducive losses with good success rates in treating physical/mechanical hearing losses.

On Friday 12th April 2024 Tracy James Hearing were invited to the BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDS after being nominated, and then shortlisted, for the BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD, organised by Newbury Weekly News

One in five children will suffer glue ear before the age of two years. Eight in ten children will have had glue ear at least once by the time they are ten years old (NICE guidance). For most of these children the glue ear will go away by itself, usually within three months. Unfortunately it can be very persistent in some children

Glue ear is a condition where fluid builds up behind the eardrum, and the Eustachian tube then becomes blocked as a result. The Eustachian tube is a tube that connects the ears to the back of the nose and throat.

A great day out can get derailed if a deaf child’s cochlear implants or batteries run out of charge. Having some spare batteries on hand can really save the day!

Your child may need to remove their hearing technology during your day out, when swimming or in very loud environments for example. Bring a storage case with you and make sure your child knows that if they want to remove their hearing technology they should let you know…

When we know someone with hearing loss, a common misconception is that the hearing aid should be able to correct or fix how they hear. Yet the reality is that our brains can differ in how we process the sound presented to us, even within the same person on the same day!

For many of us, school hearing tests for hearing problems were routine in our first years at school. It helped our parents and teachers know whether we had a hearing problem or simply weren’t paying attention. However, a government study in 2016 found it was not cost effective to have a universal school hearing screening programme.

Mother’s Day is a day to enjoy precious time with your Mum; sharing conversations, laughter and fun, making more memories together. However for many, these interactions can be harboured by age-related hearing loss (also known as presbyacusis). So how do you know if it’s time to talk to your Mum about hearing aids?…..

In honour of the upcoming World Health Organisations World Hearing Day (3rd March), whose theme this year is ‘Changing mindsets: let's make ear and hearing care a reality for all!’ We would like to share this article written by our tinnitus specialist Louise Hart during Tinnitus Awareness Week (5th - 11th February) which was featured in the 8th February edition of Newbury Weekly News

Tracy James Hearing is excited and proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for a Best Customer Experience Award at the Newbury Weekly News Best in Business Awards!

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) is when the brain finds it difficult to process and understand sound, particularly speech. The pathway between the ear and the brain and the way the brain encodes the information from the ear is not working properly. This means that the sound/speech can be scrambled, altered or delayed.

For a long time there was little information about tinnitus and sound tolerance issues (hyperacusis) in children. This made it difficult for parents to know how to support and help their child. Fortunately this is improving; there is now more information out there and the condition and symptoms are recognised.

Whilst NHS Audiology in West Berkshire offers a great tinnitus and hyperacusis service, the wait to be seen can sometimes seem never ending.  We know the earlier we intervene in helping people manage their tinnitus and hyperacusis the more successful the outcome for them.

More recent developments in hearing aid design (especially in the private sector) has been the use of in the Ear (ITE) and completely in the ear canal (CIC) hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing losses. This includes ready to wear CIC hearing aids.

NIHL occurs when you are exposed to excessive levels of sound for a given time period. From a physical point of view the tiny hair cells in the cochlear (the organ of hearing) are damaged and stop working and therefore are not able to process the sound along the auditory pathway.

Christmas is a time when we all come together. Sadly though, some of our loved ones will miss out on conversations due to hearing loss. Here are some top tips from the RNID on how to start the conversation on hearing loss this Christmas.

If you’re wondering how well you can hear and you would like to do an initial check, it is now possible to do an online hearing test which will indicate if there is a hearing loss present.

Louise works alongside Tracy offering the wax removal, hearing tests and children’s appointments, plus she also offers tinnitus and hyperacusis services.