Software could improve sound quality for hearing-aid users

The software is said to prescribe the amount of amplification of high-frequency sounds required to restore their audibility.

According to a statement, this increases the frequency range of sound that individuals with hearing loss are able to detect, improving speech perception, sound localisation and the ability to hear certain musical sounds, when compared with current methods.

Results of an evaluation of the software were published recently in the journal Ear and Hearing.

Approximately 10 per cent of the UK population has hearing loss great enough to cause them problems in everyday life. As hearing loss usually increases with age, the proportion of individuals with hearing loss will increase rapidly as the population ages in the coming decades.

The main treatment for hearing loss is hearing aids, which amplify sound for the wearer in a frequency- and level-dependent manner.

In order for users to get the full benefits of a hearing aid, the device must be adjusted according to the wearer’s pattern of hearing loss; however, even a properly adjusted hearing aid will not completely restore hearing to normal.