This is the emotional moment a man with the hearing of a 60-year-old tried on a hearing aid for the first time.
David Tester, 36, had struggled with his hearing for approximately two years before he finally went to get it tested.
David, who was only 34 at the time, was shocked when he was told he had the hearing of a 60-year-old.
However, the audiologist suggested that his hearing wasn't poor enough to take any action and he should just keep monitoring it.
Over a year later, David and those around him noticed his hearing had worsened and his doctor agreed.
The video shows David sitting in his audiologist's office during a consultation on July 10 having the hearing aid turned on for the first time and tears welling in his eyes as he's overcome with emotion.
David, a head of marketing from Hackney, London, said: "I tried the hearing aid on for size in the office.
"The audiologist put on loud restaurant noises so we could simulate the environment.
"When she turned the hearing aid on, I could suddenly hear her through the busy noise that was playing.
"That's when I ended up getting emotional because I actually realised what I had been missing all this time."
David began noticing loss in his hearing in 2022 and saw an audiologist six months later.
He found he had particular difficulty hearing people sitting directly next to him whilst in loud busy spaces.
It's still unclear exactly what caused the hearing loss, but David attributes it to nights spent directly next to club speakers.
David said: "I've spent a decent amount of time in nightclubs so I assume that the speakers from those nights will have done some damage.
David has struggled with his hearing for some time. (Image: SWNS)
"All I really know is that the audiologist said the hearing in my left ear specifically had deteriorated, so that's where I'm getting the hearing aid."
David hadn't truly realised how much his hearing had deteriorated until he heard the comparison.
He said: "It was a gradual change so I didn't notice how much it had altered my experiences.
"I spend a lot of time in busy surroundings like restaurants and bars and I remember feeling like I was asking people to repeat themselves a lot.
"I could tell something was off but I didn't know how much I was missing."
David is not yet living with his hearing aid as he ordered it on July 25 and is still awaiting its arrival.
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He said: "I'm really looking forward to being able to use it in my daily life.
"It’s a big step to take considering it’s £1800 as the NHS range wasn’t appropriate for the type of situations I’ll need the aid in.
But I’ve ordered it now and it’ll be here in just over a week.
"I'm sure I'll have another few moments of realising what I've been missing and the people around me will get to enjoy not having to repeat themselves all the time!"
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