University Hospital Sharjah (UHS) has opened a new Hearing Aid Clinic to help the growing number of people with hearing loss to communicate better.  
Mr. Mohammed Ayas, Senior Audiologist, UHS, said, “This is a unique unit that can assess and check your hearing and also offer a solution within the Hospital. UHS is the first Hospital in the UAE to offer such a facility. In other hospitals you have to go and buy a hearing aid elsewhere. Sometimes people may or may not follow through the advice to buy the hearing aid, or delay buying it. At UHS you get a device of your choice immediately. We offer a one-stop solution for hearing problems.”
 
Mr Ayas continued, “Hearing loss is a hidden impairment that should be treated early to allow patients to hear, understand and communicate better.”

Hearing loss is when children and adults have difficulty in understanding speech where there is other noise. They cannot understand what you are saying and you have to repeat your words. It was unfortunate that family members often ignore hearing problems of the elderly and consider it as an irreversible aspect of aging.

Between 25 to 30 teenagers come to UHS for a check-up every month. Teens should be aware that listening to music at high volume on personal devices would affect their hearing in the later years of their life, said the audiologist.  

There are many reasons for loss of hearing and an evaluation is necessary to find a solution.

Patients need to see an audiologist first and an ENT (ear, nose and throat) doctor.  “Sometimes hearing loss cannot be corrected with medical management or surgery, at this point a hearing aid is the next best alternative,” said Mr. Ayas.

Mr. Michael Stroud, UHS CEO, said, “UHS has the professional expertise in terms of trained doctors and nurses, in addition to the infrastructure, equipment and lab services required to lead the way in this innovative field of medical practice.”

The new state-of-the-art Hearing Aid Clinic provides various brands of hearing aids at affordable rates, based on what the patient needs. UHS also plans to set up a cochlear implant clinic within the next six months.
 The implant is for a certain segment of the population that do not benefit from a hearing aid, said the audiologist.

Everyone should get a routine check-up every six months after 45 years of age.