Swiss hearing technology specialist Phonak says today’s UK launch of its ‘invisible’ hearing aid will change the lives of people with hearing difficulties across the country. (Includes video)
The device is small enough to fit into the hearing canal, and is placed four millimetres from the ear drum. Measuring 16 millimetres long, the Lyric can be left inside the ear for up to four months, and users can continue with their everyday lives without worrying about showering, playing sport or sleeping. Users of the device are able to use a magnetic adjustment tool to turn it on and off and change the volume.
People with hearing problems in the UK were given the opportunity to trial the Lyric and reported a huge increase in quality of life. Some claimed that they felt better connected to the outside world, with the added benefit of not having any visible evidence of a disability.
One current user of the device, Jon Laws, a 31 year old global brands manager, contracted measles at the age of six months. After 25 years of trying almost every type of hearing aid available, Mr. Laws came across the Lyric and says it has completely changed his life.
While Phonak’s headquarters are located in Switzerland, the product is manufactured in the US.
The hearing aid costs £100 a month and patients pay in quarterly instalments. It requires no maintenance and no daily insertion or removal is needed. It is EU approved and thus CE marked. It is also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration – arguably the most stringent regulatory body in the world.
Lyric’s device is now available on a subscription basis from private hearing aid audiologists across the country.
