A Scottish-based hearing test developer hoping to “revolutionise” hearing loss assessment is calling for volunteers to take part in a new hearing test trial.

Edinburgh-headquartered Hearing Diagnostics has developed a new type of hearing test during which the patient wears headphones fitted with a motion sensor and turns their head in response to random, multi-direction sounds.

So far, the test has proved to be more accurate than existing systems during pilot trials and is thought to be more resilient to tinnitus (ringing or buzzing sounds), imagined sounds and background noise.

The company’s Co-founder and Chief Executive, Claudia Freigang PhD, said that she is particularly concerned that some people shielding during the pandemic, or those reluctant to undertake a close-quarter hearing test, may have “allowed their hearing to deteriorate undetected”.

Freigang said: “Now, more than ever before, we need a hearing test that is accessible, easy and reliable, which is what we believe we have developed at Hearing Diagnostics.”

With the Scottish Government announcement last week of Covid restriction relaxation, Hearing Diagnostics said it intends to take its testing to its next phase and needs volunteers – some of whom will have hearing difficulties and others who don’t – to help prove the effectiveness of its hearing test.

Those who sign-up to the hearing test trial, who will be unpaid, need to be able to attend testing sessions in either central Glasgow or Edinburgh in the months of February, March or April 2022.

To take part in the trial, attendees should sign up if they are aged between 25 and 75, have known mild, mild-to-moderate, or moderate-to-severe hearing loss and have no existing mobility restrictions.

Once this phase is complete, Hearing Diagnostics said the system will be trialed by high street hearing aid retailers prior to a worldwide market launch.

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According to The World Health Organization, 466 million people worldwide experience hearing loss and two thirds of all adults over the age of 70 experience this condition.

However, an estimated 86% of those with hearing loss in the UK are unaware of it and yet early detection is key to its effective management.

Freigang added: “Hearing loss, if left unmanaged, can have a debilitating impact on anyone’s life and we believe passionately that getting hearing care early can make living with hearing loss more manageable.

“That’s why we’ve developed this system, which is more robust and, we believe, more accurate than existing hearing tests. It doesn’t need an audiologist to conduct the test and can be undertaken outside of hospitals without the need for a soundproof booth. All these factors make our hearing test more accessible than ever before.

“Every volunteer who comes forward to ‘lend an ear’ will be making a significant contribution to making hearing loss diagnosis easier and more accessible for everyone else. They’ll also have the benefit of learning about their own hearing ability at the same time.”

To take part in the trial, Hearing Diagnostics has asked those interested to email: participants@hdiags.co.uk

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