Suddenly losing your hearing can be extremely distressing and debilitating. The big question for anyone going through this is “Will I get my hearing back?”. While we cannot promise you that treatment will restore hearing, we want to reassure anyone who has experienced sudden hearing loss that treatment and other support is available. The most important thing that anyone with sudden hearing loss can do is seek medical attention via your general practitioner. It is likely that starting treatment as soon as possible after onset of hearing loss can improve the chances of hearing recovery.
The STARFISH trial is exploring the way that different treatments help to restore hearing follow sudden hearing loss. Participants across the UK in NHS hospitals will receive different types of steroid treatment, and we will closely follow everyone taking part, including specialist hearing tests at hospital and online home testing. Questionnaires will also monitor the effects of the hearing loss and other symptoms on daily activities.
For most participants, taking part in STARFISH will not mean any additional hospital trips beyond those normally required.
If you have sudden hearing loss you should urgently see your GP. You can only enter the trial once you have been referred to a participating hospital ENT team. Below you will find information about the trial, and also a personal account of sudden sensorineural hearing loss.