Up Front 07/10

Regardless of England’s performance in this year’s World Cup, a young Irish web-based company, Restored Hearing, is hoping to help alleviate at least one of the possible post competition maladies. The company is offering assistance to sports fans who are suffering from the effects of listening to the Vuvuzela horn at this year’s matches in South Africa. A symbol of South African football, the Vuvuzela horn has already caused controversy and been banned from sporting events at places such as Wimbledon, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and even the Yankee Stadium in America. Its intense and monotonous sound has had thousands of TV viewers phoning their suppliers to complain about faults in their televisions, and although its high sound pressure levels at close range can lead to serious hearing loss, one of the main effects is temporary tinnitus. In such noisy environments damage can be done to the sound receptor cells in the cochlea, that part of the ear which converts wave-vibrations into electric signals before sending these signals onto the brain. Restored Hearing has developed and provides a low frequency therapy for people who are suffering from temporary tinnitus and supplies the therapy over the internet. The therapy lasts for approximately one minute and the only requirement is a broadband connection and a pair of outer ear headphones. Restored Hearing claims it has a 99% success rate proven by scientific trials. So it seems despite the hand of Thierry Henry, Ireland will have a hand in the World Cup after all, even if it is only lending an ear – sorry, couldn’t resist that.