0800 132 320
If you’re worried about your sight and hearing, you don’t have to go through it by yourself. Our free helpline is for anyone living with sight and hearing loss and is a safe place to talk about anything that’s on your mind.
You can get:
- Advice about your sight and hearing loss
- Help if you’re worried about a relative, friend or loved one
- Information, professional advice, and next steps.
Click here to find out more about how we can help.
Sight and hearing loss helpline
You can contact us by:
- Telephone: 0800 132320
- Text: 07903572885
- Email: [email protected]
- Text relay: 18001 then 0800 132320
- Click here for BSL video relay.
The helpline is free to call. It’s open from 9am – 5pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 9am – 5pm on Friday (excluding bank holidays). This service is available in English and British Sign Language (BSL).
Early signs of sight and hearing loss
Some of the early signs of sight loss are:
- You’re uncomfortable in bright or low lighting.
- It’s harder to read books, texts or see the TV
- You find it difficult to move around in unfamiliar spaces
- It’s hard for you to read facial expressions
- You often think you need glasses.
Some of the early signs of hearing loss include:
- You don’t hear the doorbell or phone ringing
- Complaining that people mumble or speak too fast
- You often ask people to repeat themselves or speak up
- Avoiding using the phone
- You find it hard to hear the TV, and/or turning the volume up very high.
If you’re at all worried about your sight and hearing, don’t put off getting a test. You can book an eye test at your local optician, and many also offer hearing tests. You can also book one at your local hearing centre.