Sixty per cent of over-55s surveyed have noticed deteriorating hearing and say it is affecting their work.
More than half those questioned said they avoid phone calls in the office and one in 10 said he or she was so deaf, he or she refused to use a phone.
A third try to get out of meetings and a quarter said they shun socialising with colleagues to keep their secret.
A fifth admitted they relied on lip reading.
Eighty per cent of people polled had an eye test every six months.
But only seven per cent had the recommended hearing test every three years.
More than half said they wouldn’t wear a hearing aid because it would make them look and feel old and their employer may not be supportive.
Four in 10 believed their confidence had dropped.
Starkey Hearing Technologies commissioned the survey of 800 over-55s to find out how deafness affects people at work.
Daily Express :: Life and Style Feed
