The charity Deafness Research UK hopes that the Specsavers Bionic Ear Show will help get across the message about limiting exposure to loud music and preventing premature deafness, particularly from the abuse of MP3 volume controls which continues to be a serious problem with teenagers in particular.
As well as having a serious message, the show, which features "the world's largest ear", is designed to be fun and interactive. During the performance, the presenter builds a model showing the different parts of the ear - 116 times the size of a normal ear! In an easily understood interactive demonstration the audience learns how the ear works, what can go wrong, and what can be done to fix it.
There are demonstrations of what it sounds like to have high frequency hearing loss plus "Guess that tune!" - how easy or difficult is it for people with cochlear implants (so-called "bionic ears") to recognise music?
Visitors can test their own hearing using do-it-yourself hearing screeners and at many of the shows there will be local ear experts on hand to answer any questions the audience may have.
The Specsavers Bionic Ear Show is currently touring the UK:
The show continues a campaign, launched by Deafness Research UK and Specsavers Hearing Centres in 2006, to highlight that hearing is as important as sight and encourage people to protect their ears against potential damage.
Today's teens are at risk of going deaf significantly earlier than their parents, because they are listening to MP3 players too loudly and too often. More than a third of people who have experienced ringing in their ears after listening to loud music, listen to their MP3 player every day. Ringing in the ears, tinnitus, is a sign of damage to the hearing system.