Covid-19 Lockdown Affects Hearing Disability and Handicap in Diverse Ways: A Rapid Online Survey Study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the perceived effects of Covid-19 social distancing restrictions and safety measures on people with hearing loss.Design: Participants were 129 adults (48.1% female, mean age 64.4 years) with an audiometric hearing loss, living in Glasgow, Scotland. A rapidly deployed 24-item online questionnaire asked about the effects of certain aspects of lockdown, including face masks, social distancing, and video calling, on participants’ behaviour, emotions, hearing performance, hearing device problems, and tinnitus. Data were analysed descriptively across the entire sample, and with Chi-squared tests for differences between subgroups self-reporting relatively good and relatively poor unaided hearing, respectively. Additional free-text responses provided further perspectives.Results: Behaviour: Video calls are used more frequently than pre-lockdown. The better hearing group use their hearing aids less. Emotions: There is increased anxiety (especially among the worse hearing group) concerning verbal communication situations and access to audiology services, and greater rumination about one’s own hearing loss. Enjoyment of group video calls is mixed. The worse hearing group show substantial relief at not being obliged to attend challenging social gatherings. Across both groups, a majority would like to see all key workers equipped with transparent face masks. Hearing performance: A large majority find it hard to converse with people in face masks due to muffled sound and lack of speechreading cues, but conversing at a safe distance is not universally problematic. In the worse hearing group, performance in video calls is generally inferior to face-to-face, but similar to telephone calls. Those who use live subtitling in video calls appreciate their value. TV and radio updates about Covid-19 are easy to follow for most respondents. There is only weak evidence of face mask fixtures interfering with hearing aids on the ear, and of tinnitus having worsened during lockdown.Conclusions: With due regard for the limitations of this rapid study, we find that there are many negative – and a few positive - effects of Covid-19 restrictions and safety measures on people with hearing loss. From a societal perspective, the widespread adoption of clear face masks may alleviate some of the difficulties and anxieties this population experience. From an individual perspective, one may consider using live subtitles on video calls. Manufacturers of hearing devices should consider developing processing modes and accessories specifically designed for video calls. Finally, repair and maintenance services should be resumed as soon as it is safe to do so