HEARZA BLOG

Called a silent epidemic, hearing loss affects 1 in 7 persons annually. Left untreated, it has extensive and far reaching effects on development in children including: speech, language, cognition and socio-emotional well-being and is one of the major barriers to educational success. In adults its effects include: social isolation, increased depression, cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia.

hearZA®’s vision is early detection and linkage to care as the key to eliminate avoidable hearing loss from as soon as the age of 16 years. Taking the hearZA® test is the first step to address your hearing.

How the hearZA® app works:

The hearZA® app is successfully developed as a clinically-validated self-test on a smartphone, using any earphone or headphone.

Available on any iOS or Android device, the app is accessible to everyone in South Africa. hearZA® is simple and easy to use and allow the user to screen his/her hearing and to know his/her hearing score in 2 minutes!

The hearZA® screening test analyses a person’s ability to perceive speech in noise. This is done by playing a series of digit triplets over white background noise (digits-in-noise). The user’s results are then displayed in the app and can also be viewed via his/her hearZA® profile. Based on the user’s response, the app automatically generates a hearing score which indicates whether there may be a possible hearing problem. If the user fails, the app then links him/her to his/her closest hearing healthcare provider (registered on the hearZA® referral system), based on geolocation.

hearZA® provides every South African user with five free tests. To date we’ve tested more than 35 397 South Africans, identified 11 323 with hearing loss and have linked close to 1661 to their closest hearing health providers.

For more information on hearZA® or if you would like to sign-up as a hearZA® hearing health referral partner, please visit: www.hearza.co.za