One of the most notorious problems of having hearing loss now has a solution. People with hearing loss can now focus on the sounds they chose to, making socialising enjoyable again.
{{New groundbreaking research proves a truly life changing hearing experience for hearing aid users}}.
Oticon Opn S™ hearing aids support the brain’s natural ability to organize and prioritize sounds.
Copenhagen, Denmark, February 5th, 2019 –Leading hearing aid manufacturer, Oticon, now proves that Oticon Opn S™ hearing aids make the brain more powerful, opening it up to a world of sound and making it much easier for people with hearing loss to take part in conversation*. With Opn S™, hearing aid users can focus on the sounds they want to, even when there are multiple speakers and a lot of noise like at parties or in restaurants. With Opn S™ supporting the brain to provide a more natural sound experience and much better conditions for following conversations, people with hearing loss can connect socially on a whole new level.
With hearing loss, the brain is held hostage
The ability to focus on what you want to listen to without being disturbed by noise is one of, if not the biggest, problems for people with hearing loss. The brain is quite literally held hostage by hearing loss, lacking the information it needs to give the right attention to the important sounds and make sense of them. Traditional hearing aids are renowned for simply making certain sounds louder while attempting to eliminate others. However, this method can leave the brain cluttered with distractions and communication becomes a real struggle as you hit a wall of sound without meaning.
Evidence that the brain can be supported to perform naturally
A new EEG testing method** to objectively measure how a brain organizes sound, has proven that Opn S™ hearing aids help the brain to get clearer signals, in a sense restoring the brain’s ability to understand and organize individual sounds. With this unique support, Opn S™ users can perform so-called ‘selective attention’ – they can monitor surroundings and switch attention when focusing on speech, even in noisy environments. The new test determined a person’s selective attention ability by measuring the brains responses to speech and noise, and discovered that Opn S™ users are able to better focus on the voice of their choice. They also find it much easier to distinguish and therefore switch attention between the other voices around them.
“With a hearing loss it takes a lot of effort to understand speech, especially in noisy environments or when several people are talking simultaneously, and this takes its toll on the brain. Without the ability to select which speaker or sounds you want to listen to, communication, and therefore social interaction, is extremely difficult and exhausting,” says Thomas Behrens, Chief of Audiology, Oticon. “Oticon is proud to continually present technological innovations which challenge conventions, offering new ways to develop hearing aids that make a real difference to everyday life. Oticon Opn S™ hearing aids are helping users to make sense of sound and, in a number of ways, enabling users to hear just like people with normal hearing*.
By continuously improving the way hearing aids can increase speech understanding and reduce the listening effort of the brain with technological innovation, we are changing people’s lives. Providing vital support for the brain enables users to access more from the world around them, literally expanding their perceptual space.”
For more information on Oticon visit: www.oticon.global.
-ENDS-
*for people with mild-moderate, non-complex hearing loss
**developed with independent researchers in a large EU research project, performed by the researchers at the Oticon research center, Eriksholm
About Oticon
500 million people worldwide suffer from hearing loss. The majority are over the age of 50 while eight percent are under the age of 18. Oticon's vision is to create a world where people are no longer limited by hearing loss. A world where hearing aids fit seamlessly into life and help people realise their full potential, while avoiding the health consequences of hearing loss. Oticon develops and manufactures hearing aids for both adults and children and supports every kind of hearing loss from mild to profound and we pride ourselves on developing some of the most innovative hearing aids in the market. Headquartered in Denmark, we are a global company and part of Demant with more than 15,000 employees and revenues of over DKK 14 billion. Changing technology. Changing conventions. Changing lives.
Oticon – Life-changing hearing technology.
www.oticon.global
Contact:
Sarah Chard at The PR Room
Tel: +44 (0) 333 9398 296
Mail: sarah.chard@theprroom.co.uk
