The NHS started fitting hearing aids right at the beginning – 70 years ago. This was in response to the vast number of service men and women who had suffered hearing loss in the Second World War.

The basic method of doing a hearing test hasn’t changed in all that time – but the equipment certainly has!

We’ve gone from valves to digital technology. The same is true of the hearing aids themselves. No more big boxes worn on straps round the waist, but tiny devices with maybe 1000 times more processing power than the computers that ran the Apollo moon landings.

Who knows what the future will bring? Most predictions miss the mark by a country mile. But I suspect that the technological revolution we are going through at the moment is likely to be outstripped by the biomedical revolution coming soon – with the understanding and manipulation of genes in particular offering opportunities that we are only just beginning to grasp. The next 70 years are going to be amazing.

Come along for a day of interactive fun and education for all the family. For more information and to book on to events or talks, please download our app: http://bit.ly/NHS70PlymouthApp*.

Adam Beckman

Audiology

*We are experiencing some issues with the app appearing on the Apple Store – you can view a pdf version here – if you would like to book onto any sessions, email communications.phnt@nhs.net