62-year-old Gwyn became deaf following the removal of an acoustic neuroma - a benign tumour - which had previously caused tinnitus and affected his hearing and balance. When the tumour was removed, father-of-three Gwyn said: "I lost the abilitiy to determine the direction of sounds and the brain reacts in a stange way to an absence of input from one side.

Gwyn's Baha was fitted under local anaesthetic at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle and Gywn describes the difference it has made to his hearing and quality of life as, "incredible - I think my hearing is now better than some poeple my age!"

"Tinnitus made life very uncomfortable, especially in noisy surroudnings like restaurants, as it drowns out what the other ear can hear. But with the Baha, it's now like I can almost hear out of both ears."

Gwyn, a self-employed business consultant, added: "Following the operation, I don't need to position people on my left side. If someone appraoches me on my right I know they are coming and can hear them speak. I don't feel as isolated in social environments as before when I couldn't follow conversation threads. Now it's much easier."