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Deafness Research UK is the national medical charity for deaf and hard of hearing people. We support high quality research to bring about rapid improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all forms of hearing impairment.
Information is available on a wide range of topics concerning deafness and related conditions including:
Our factsheets and leaflets incorporate the latest research findings and medical evidence. They are sent free of charge to members of the public and can be ordered in quantity by health professionals to be passed on to patients.
Deafness Research UK factsheets can be downloaded from the website: www.deafessresearch.org.uk
We run a dedicated telephone helpline through which publications can be requested and specific questions asked. If our information team cannot help personally, we will refer an enquiry to one of our medical experts.
Call our National Freephone Helpline number 0808 808 2222
Text us on: 020 7915 1412
Email us at: info@deafnessresearch.org.uk
Write to us at:
Deafness Research UK
330-332 Gray's Inn Road
London
WC1X 8EE
Registered Charity: 326915
‘Deafness Research UK helped pioneer the first objective and accurate test for hearing loss in babies’ Thank you to Otodynamics for the picture.
Case study
Martyn Colley (26) from London, woke up after a night out three years ago to find that he had tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and no hearing in his right ear – the condition known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). It has affected every aspect of his life and he says that it has been a struggle for him to come to terms with the fact that there is currently no cure for his condition.
“I went to my GP immediately and he said that it was just an infection, which was obviously not the case! I went to A&E four days later, where I was admitted to the ENT department. There I received the heart-breaking news that nothing could be done for me. I was told by the consultant that, if I had been referred on the day that I noticed the hearing loss, I may have had a chance of regaining at least some of my hearing through anti-viral and steroid treatments.
I was told that there was too much damage to my cochlea for a hearing aid to be of any use, while a cochlear implant wasn’t an option because I had only been affected in one ear.
I was in my first week of training to become a Metropolitan Police Officer at the time that the SSHL occurred and this opportunity was taken away because my hearing was no longer adequate. I have found it difficult to find a fulfilling job ever since.
As there is no sure reason for my deafness, I sometimes get anxious that my ‘good’ ear may go the same way as my right – I hate to imagine what it’s like to be totally deaf.
I would like to say a big thank you to Deafness Research UK, who have helped me with information and advice on SSHL. I feel that, if people in my position (and worse) were given more information, it would bring hope and peace of mind for them now and in the future.”
