Music to her ears For three decades, retired community nurse Donna Brown struggled to hear. She found it difficult to hear in background noise and on the mobile phone. She even got to the stage where she couldn’t hear phones ringing or a kettle boiling.
If there is one thing any lawn bowler wants to do, it is to protect their vision. Macular degeneration is Australia’s leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50, with one in seven people showing some evidence of the disease. The disease occurs at the back of the eye, which means an eye test by an optometrist is the only way to reveal the very early signs.
In 2000, Donna, who has low frequency residual hearing with a severe high-frequency hearing loss, began wearing hearing aids, although they didn’t provide as much help as she needed. “I had to change my work so I was in less demanding situations, but I was still struggling to hear,” Donna says. But all that changed when Donna was referred to an ear nose and throat surgeon and she was told about a new technology which could help her – the Cochlear™Hybrid™ System, which is part cochlear implant and part hearing aid. The Cochlear Hybrid System works by picking up sound and transmitting the low frequencies to a hearing aid which amplifies sound, while sending the high frequency component to the cochlear implant. The high frequencies are then converted to a series of electrical impulses which stimulate the hearing nerve directly.
Keep Your Eyes on the Jack
“And what a difference!” says Donna. “After the switch on I came out on the street and it was like I was normal. I could hear birds chirping and hear the traffic. I was, all of a sudden, in the world with sound all around me. I didn’t have to try to hear sound or second guess where the sound was coming from. “Hybrid allows me to use my mobile and home phone now with no problems at all. I can also listen to music and I enjoy listening to the radio again.” At 65, Donna and her husband travel extensively and she enjoys an active lifestyle. “I like the fact that background noise is appropriate and doesn’t overwhelm me. And soft voices aren’t a problem. One of the best rewards for me is that I can hear my young grandson and I am able to talk and communicate with him.” For more information on Cochlear hearing solutions, please talk to your healthcare professional or visit www.cochlear.com/au contact Cochlear on 1800 620 929, or email customerservice@cochlear.com
Julie Heraghty, CEO of Macular Disease Foundation Australia says early detection is vital to save sight. “This is why it is so important for people to visit an optometrist for an eye test and macula check,” she said. “And in between those visits it is important for those at risk, people over 50, to check for changes in their vision by using an Amsler grid.” Only 1% of Australians aged over 50 years are familiar with an Amsler grid – yet this simple tool, which is available free of charge from Macular Disease Foundation Australia, can be used at home to monitor for changes in vision. “It only takes a moment to check your eyes with an Amsler grid and if you notice any changes in your vision it is absolutely critical that you have your eyes tested and macula checked as a matter of urgency by your optometrist or ophthalmologist,” said Julie. For a free information pack including an Amsler grid, contact Macular Disease Foundation Australia. Telephone 1800 111 709 or visit www.mdfoundation.com.au
The Amsler grid is used to detect changes in vision.
JUNE / JULY 2014 BOWLS PLUS 37