Do you need to go to GP for hearing test?

[findingaway65]

Sorry that is the best way i could phrase that title.
So a bit of background i had a hearing test quite a while ago and was told i had mild hearing loss and could chose weather i wanted to use a hearing aid, like when your prescription is only +0.25 and you have the choice to wear glasses! I decided against the idea at the time as i was just about managing. But recently i have really struggled to hear in crowds and when there is background noise, music, tv etc.
So thinking might need another hearing test, ive seen signs that you can go straight into some places without the need for a gp, is this true? 1. dont want to make unnessary GP appointment 2. I have a slight fear of going to the doctors!
Also i have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which can cause hearing loss.

Actually.. specksavers do ear tests now too!

Yes they are one of the places i saw signs...

Boots opticians do too

Yep, Specsavers, very quick and easy to do.

Ahh brilliant will just do that then!

Boots have hearingcare centres now, I think in some of their opticians.

A really helpful charity called Action on Hearing Loss is well worth joining. It's cheap to join and has useful magazines etc.

You don't have to go via the GP but they can refer you for a hearing test. Some places you may have to pay but provision is different across the UK so do check first.

As above, many high street opticians fo heating tests, but if you have an underlying medical condition that can cause hearing loss, then surely it would be a good idea to see your GP anyway?

I had a hearing test at Specsavers

I went to the GP who referred me for an NHS hearing test at Specsavers. As DeadZed says some areas of the country you can get free hearing aids depending on your age (in my area it's over 50 years). I may have got this wrong, but I think (in my area anyway) that if you visit without a GP referral then you wouldn't be able to get the NHS aids. If you have private ones they can be very expensive. My hearing loss is on the borderline between mild and moderate. I decided to start with NHS aids to see how I got on with them. I've had them about 6 months now and they do seem to help, but my hearing is still not great when there's a lot of background noise. Also, if you search hearing aids on Mumsnet there's loads of threads which I found really interesting.

So i had the hearing test today- specsavers and have been told i have mild bilateral hearing loss, slightly worse in right ear (the audiogramn was more spikey) have been told that i will most likly need hearing iads i need to go to my gp so it can be investigated and refered to NHS hearing services. Presume this is normal? What happens with this?
I have to go to Occuaptionel HEalth for new job soon, this wont set me back will it.

Hi Findingaway, sorry I can’t help with your question about occupational health, but I was wondering what you know about Ehlos Danlers and hearing loss? I went suddenly deaf in one ear last year, and within 3 months I developed sciatica due to a problem with my SI joint, which is still unresolved. I am hyper mobile (7 out of 9 in the test they do) but my GP just raises an eyebrow when I ask about Ehlos Danlers. There are two possibilities that I want her to investigate, which would link the hearing loss and the sciatica - ED, and Pagett’s Disease of the Bone, which my father had. But I’m sure she thinks I’m a hypochondriac. How did you get your ED diagnosis?
Good luck with the hearing aids. I have one and, while it takes a little getting used to and persistence with getting adjustments made, it really helps.

Hi, find a new gp, it sounds like it could be EDS, it's diagnosed by a gentisis sp? doctors look for horse hooves not zebras.

Also I know this might sound a stupid and childish questuon. But what are hearing aids on the nhs like? Also can you get different colours of the aid and or ear mold, in a young adult and quite outgoing and don't like the idea of beige or black.

You can choose from a few colours - I remember silver being an option. I wasn’t offered an ear mould but it’s surprising how invisible they are so long as you don’t have very short hair. I hated how mine looked (not to wear, because you can’t see it, but just as a thing) until my husband said ‘just think of it as a little speaker’. Somehow that helped.

findingaway65 What happened with me was that I went to the GP and she did a very quick test with a tuning fork and then referred me to the practice nurse for an audiogram and then based on that the GP referred me to the NHS hearing scheme. I would have thought that they wouldn't need to do any of the testing for you though as you've obviously already had the hearing test done and they may just do the referral to the NHS scheme. For me I had to wait quite a long time for an NHS appointment (although I kept ringing occasionally and got a cancellation) at Specsavers. I didn't get any choice of colour, I asked and was told that there wasn't a choice (maybe just this area). I think the ones which are moulded inside your ear are for moderate/severe hearing loss, so you'll probably have the ones like mine with the tubes. They really are not very noticeable at all. My dad has the same ones as I have, he has short hair and when looking at him from the front I sometimes find it difficult to notice if he is wearing them or not. Here's a pic of mine

My ds has borderline moderate loss, his hearing aids are bottle green and he has full moulds in the ear which are sparkly blue. He can when hes a teenager get the moulds like jenny if he wishes. As for coloured hearing aids it depends on your area as it is only children that get the coloured hearing aids in this area.