Welcome to Hear Glue Ear
Glue Ear is the most common cause of temporary hearing loss in childhood. Hear Glue Ear works with partners to support those affected by glue ear in the home and in education settings.
Buy your HearGlueEar headset today
Buy your HearGlueEar headset today
We are thrilled to see that as of February 2024 it is possible to buy the full HearGlueEar set with both the bone conduction headsets and microphone from Raspberry Pi. These are adjustable which means they fit school aged children up to adults and pair easily to the microphone provided with them. Some children refer to this as their ‘extendable ear’. Whilst anyone can buy these headphones/microphone kits, the technology helps to route sound coming from the microphone (which can be attached to a parent or teacher) directly to the inner hearing system which research suggests may work well for some children with glue ear (fluid behind their ear drum). The headsets can also be linked to other devices such as a tablet or a phone for when the user is listening to audiobooks such as the ones on the hear glue ear app.
Please note this is not a medical device.
BBC coverage of HearGlueEar project and device and its importance to people nationally. Aired Feb 2019
HearGlueEar device showcased on BBC
Research
Media and Publications
Founder : Dr Tamsin Holland Brown
About HearGlueEar device
Of all the children who are deaf across the world fewer than 10% wear a hearing aid of any kind. Research in Cambridge has been searching for an affordable solution for the most common type of hearing loss in childhood affecting the middle ear: glue ear.
Children have small anatomy and after a cough cold or ear infection can suffer with fluid build up behind the ear drum affecting the transfer of sound. The hearing aids that work well for this condition transfer sound using bone conduction technology which can be expensive, up to £3000.
A solution costing approx £50 for a headset has been trialled, with the help of the Cambridge charity - The Raspberry Pi Foundation - as well as a free app called Hear Glue Ear (available now on google and android app stores) which aims to prevent children falling behind while they have glue ear, and help home management between appointments.
This solution was researched during the Covid pandemic in 2020 when children were unable to access hearing services or grommet operations. The whole headset, microphone and app was sent by post to families who were then able to manage their child’s condition at home by using the app to estimate hearing and then using the headset to support hearing loss.
The most recent ITV news coverage can be found here
Contact
For enquiries about the device and working with Dr Holland Brown please email:
hearglueear@gmail.com