For many veterans, hearing loss does not arrive at all at once. It slowly becomes part of daily life, conversations become harder to follow, background noise starts drowning out speech and the television volume creeps higher each year. Eventually, frustration replaces confidence, and many veterans begin quietly adapting to hearing difficulties without realising how much they are missing.
For Mr Mark Greenwood, the effects of military noise exposure followed him home after long service ended. After serving with the 2 Mercian Regiment and completing an operational tour in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick 15, Mr Greenwood began living with hearing difficulties linked to exposure from gunfire and explosions during service. At first, like many veterans, he continued, however over time, hearing loss and tinnitus became harder to ignore.
Living with Tinnitus and Hearing Loss after Service
Hearing loss affects far more than hearing alone, it slowly changes how someone experiences everyday life. For Mr Greenwood, tinnitus became a constant challenge alongside reduced hearing. Ringing in the ears, difficulty following speech, and struggling in noisy environments started affecting normal day-to-day situations. Watching television became difficult without subtitles, conversations in busy environments became tiring, understanding people clearly often depended on the environment around him.
One of the most honest parts of Mr Greenwood’s application was his admission that hearing difficulties had started affecting his ability to keep jobs. That is something many people outside the armed forces community do not always understand. Hearing loss is exhausting and people spend hours concentrating harder than everyone else around them simply to keep up with conversations others hear naturally.
Over time, this strain builds and alongside hearing difficulties, Mr Greenwood also lives with service-related PTSD. For many veterans, hearing loss and mental health struggles often overlap. Loud environments become stressful, social situations feel draining; isolation slowly increases because communicating comfortably starts taking more energy than before. Sometimes veterans stop joining conversations altogether because constantly asking people to repeat themselves becomes frustrating or embarrassing.
Losing Hearing Support During Difficult Times
Before reaching out to the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation, Mr Greenwood had previously received NHS hearing aids. During a difficult period he experienced, those hearing aids were misplaced. That part of his story reflects something important; hearing loss does not happen separately from life. Many veterans face multiple struggles at once, including mental health challenges, housing instability, employment difficulties, and the long-term effects of service life.
When hearing support disappears during those periods, daily life becomes even harder. Without hearing support, even simple routines such as shopping, phone calls, appointments, or spending time with others can begin feeling overwhelming.
Finding Support Through the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation
After contacting the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation, support was arranged through Vibrant Hearing (NE), with funding kindly provided by the Joicey Trust. Mr Greenwood was fitted with a pair of Phonak i90-R hearing aids, helping support clearer hearing in everyday situations and reducing some of the strain caused by constantly struggling to hear.
Following the fitting, Mr Greenwood described himself as “absolutely over the moon” and said he could not thank everyone enough for the support he had received. Being younger and enjoying modern technology, one of the things he immediately appreciated was the Bluetooth connectivity and ability to enjoy music more comfortably again. He also mentioned how small and comfortable the hearing aids felt, often forgetting he was even wearing them throughout the day.
Most importantly, Mr Greenwood shared that the hearing aids were already helping with his mental well-being and helping mask some of the tinnitus that had affected him for years. For many veterans, these changes are life-changing in ways difficult to explain on paper. Feeling less isolated, less frustrated, and more connected to everyday life again often brings back confidence people slowly lose overtime.
Supporting Veterans Beyond the Hearing Loss
At the UK Veterans Hearing Foundation, every veteran’s story is different, but many experiences share common threads, years of noise exposure, gradual hearing decline, tinnitus, isolation, trying to adjust to civilian life while carrying invisible effects from service. The charity continues working to ensure veterans across the UK receive access to hearing care and support when they need it most. The UK Veterans Hearing Foundation would like to thank the Joicey Trust for funding Mr Greenwood’s hearing support, alongside Vibrant Hearing (NE) for providing his hearing assessment and fitting care.
Looking Ahead
Hearing loss linked to military service does not disappear overnight, neither do the experiences behind it. But proper hearing support can make everyday life feel more manageable again. For Mr Greenwood, this fitting represents more than hearing aids alone. For him it represents another step towards reconnecting with everyday life, reducing the strain of tinnitus and hearing difficulties, and moving forward with the right support behind him. No veteran should feel they have to struggle in silence after service.
