Banbury father prevented from going deaf by prompt action of audiologist and hospital staff

Father of two and engineer Gareth Wiliams suddenly started losing his hearing over six weeks until it disappeared completely.

At this point, the 63-year-old who lives near Banbury contacted Specsavers, where, after conducting a full check-up, audiologist Bilal Ali realised something was wrong and urged him to visit the hospital.

Staff at John Radcliffe Hospital were able to diagnose Gareth with a rare form of vasculitis called granulomatosis polyangiitis (GPA), which affects blood vessels and can lead to major organ damage.

Gareth was treated right away with steroids and chemotherapy and thankfully, he was able to restore his hearing to a regular level before it was permanently damaged.

He said: “Working in engineering I have had regular hearing tests over the years and have had no significant hearing loss. So, when I lost my hearing entirely over a short period, coupled with blocked sinuses and breathing problems, I was somewhat concerned and that’s when I went to Specsavers.

“Bilal confirmed the hearing loss and strongly recommended that I sought an urgent appointment with a specialist as this was not a normal thing to happen, which is what I did. I’m happy to say that my hearing has now recovered back to normal for a man of my age, although I remain under the care of the ENT specialist.

“I assumed it was some sort of sinus infection that would clear eventually, so it was Bilal saying it was important I got it checked out further that pushed us on to the road with the specialist. GPA can affect other organs the longer it is left so it wasn’t just my hearing that was saved.”

Bilal said: “If the GPA hadn’t been discovered in time, it could have led to more serious and permanent damage. Since finishing his treatment, Mr Williams has returned to me for a check-up and it appears his hearing has stabilised, which is a great outcome for him and I am very happy that I was able to help him.’