Hearing test over the phone – Testing the Nation Breaking the Sound Barrier
Since the end of last year it is now possible to take a hearing test from the convenience of your own home by using your telephone.
This is part of the Breaking the Sound Barrier Campaign, run by the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People).
To take the test, you need to be in a quiet environment and then call the number: 0845 600 5555
You are greeted by Eamonn Holmes (television presenter), how explains a little about the test. The test involves listening to someone speaking 3 numbers which you then enter on your phones keypad. This is repeated lots of times. The volume of the voice and background noise changes for each set of 3 numbers.
If you can’t hear some of the digits you make a guess so that you always enter 3 digits. After you have been doing this for a couple of minutes the test ends and you are given the result one of:
- “Your hearing is within the normal range. If, in future, you notice any problems with your hearing, please see your local GP. Thank you for taking part.”
- “Your hearing is below normal. This is very common. We recommend that you discuss it with your GP the next time you visit the surgery.”
- “Your hearing is well below normal and you’re likely to benefit from a hearing aid. Please see your local GP and ask to be referred to an audiologist for a full hearing assessment.”
I was a bit concerned as I took the test that there were a few instances where I either didn’t hear the number, or where I thought the number may have been one of two different numbers. Apparently this is fairly normal as my result was “within the normal range”.
I think that this was a worthwhile exercise, I’m glad that I took the 5 minutes out to get some piece of mind.
For more information see: