More than 18 million people in the UK are estimated to live with hearing loss, tinnitus or deafness, yet many overlook common warning signs because they develop gradually. According to Clare Snelling, Audiologist and co-owner of The Hearing Centres, some of the earliest signs appear while watching television.
Subtitles and volume changes
RNID research found that only 6% of UK adults without a diagnosed hearing loss took a hearing check in the last 12 months, with evidence suggesting people often wait around 10 years before seeking help. Subtitles alone are not a warning sign; unclear dialogue can result from sound mixing, television speakers or room acoustics.
Clare said: “Television is one of the environments where hearing difficulties often become noticeable because it combines speech, music, background sounds and multiple speakers. When hearing changes occur, people often start adjusting their viewing habits without connecting those changes to their hearing.”
When to consider a hearing assessment
She advised comparing several programmes and devices, reducing competing noise, and trying speech enhancement settings before assuming hearing loss. If dialogue remains difficult after those changes, particularly when others follow it comfortably or speech is unclear away from the television, a hearing assessment can help.
“A hearing check does not assume hearing loss. It can provide reassurance or identify a change that may have developed gradually,” she added.
Seven habits that could indicate hearing loss
1. You keep increasing the volume – “This is one of the most reported changes. People gradually increase the television volume over time and often do not realise how much it has risen until somebody else comments on it.”
2. You rely on subtitles for programmes you once followed easily – “If you previously watched dramas, documentaries or films comfortably without subtitles but now struggle to follow conversations without them, that could indicate that speech has become more difficult to hear clearly.”
3. You struggle with dialogue but not overall sound – “Hearing loss often affects speech clarity before it affects overall volume. Someone may hear every sound effect, piece of music and burst of applause yet still miss parts of conversations between characters.”
4. You keep rewinding scenes because you missed what was said – “Repeatedly replaying sections of programmes is another common adaptation strategy. People often assume they were distracted, but sometimes they simply did not hear the dialogue clearly enough the first time.”
5. Fast-paced dramas have become harder to follow – “Programmes with multiple characters, different accents or fast-paced dialogue can expose hearing difficulties that are less noticeable in quieter environments.”
6. You avoid watching television with other people – “Some people begin avoiding shared viewing because they feel self-conscious about needing the volume higher than everybody else.”
7. You find background music makes dialogue harder to understand – “One of the earliest signs of hearing loss is difficulty separating speech from competing sounds. If it happens across different programmes and platforms, hearing changes may be playing a role.”
