Why Are Hearing Aids Being Offered Over The Counter?

The month of October 2022 was a very exciting time for people who have been waiting for hearing aids to help them enhance their hearing but have been unable to do so because of cost or accessibility concerns. Hearing aids that you can acquire without first seeing a specialist are part of a new category of devices governed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that are aimed at adults with self-perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss. You should learn as much as you can about over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids before making a purchase, whether in person or online; read on to find out more.

More Control

Hearing aids available without a prescription will empower people to manage their own aural health. They won’t need to get a hearing test or see an audiologist before buying a hearing aid.

There are currently personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) on the market that can be purchased by the general public; these devices function similarly to hearing aids but are not legally allowed to be advertised as such, and they don’t help in the same way. These OTC hearing aids will work as other hearing aids do, so could indeed be very useful.

No Audiologist Involved

The over-the-counter hearing aids will come with default settings, but this is one area where standardization won’t work. Due to the wide variety of causes for hearing loss, it is crucial to have your audiologist customize your hearing aids to your unique needs in order to maximize their effectiveness.

In addition, only people with relatively minor hearing loss should use these devices. Similar to how reading glasses are appropriate, as long as you just have problems with small text and you should see an optometrist for prescription lenses if you have any significant vision impairment, you should always seek assistance from an audiologist if you experience significant hearing loss. Without getting your hearing checked by an audiologist, you will not know if OTC hearing aids will be the best option for you.

And without that checkup, you can be missing out on an underlying medical problem like tinnitus that is causing your hearing loss, one that could lead to more serious side effects if left unchecked.

Are OTC Hearing Aids Useful?

In some cases, OTC hearing aids are certainly useful. If you experience only self-perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss and you are happy with your overall health, you could try these devices, and you may well have better hearing as a result. You’ll save money, and you’ll also save time – these days, that is just as important as anything else.

However, for a lot of people, OTC hearing aids are not the ideal solution, you may need a behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE) or in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids, depending on the severity of you hearing loss.

The fact is that your expert audiologist can fit you with devices that will help with all levels of hearing loss. They can adapt to different environments, including loud noise and have received FDA approval for treating hearing loss. They aid in the brain’s ability to process sound, too.

If you have hearing loss, your audiologist can equip you with a device that will help you. Determining the severity of your hearing loss without the assistance of an audiologist is challenging. If you try to treat your hearing loss on your own, you run the risk of either under or over-treating it.

If you try to treat yourself with over-the-counter hearing aids, you can forget important measures, like getting your hearing checked by an audiologist. There are several potential causes of hearing loss, including earwax buildup, medicines, tumors and more. Buying an over-the-counter hearing aid may not always be the answer.

You can still visit your audiologist even if you buy a hearing aid over the counter. Talk to your audiologist about your hearing aids and see if there’s anything they can do to improve their performance. You can obtain the help you need from a reputable provider and see if OTC hearing aids are right for you.

No matter what option you choose or what your reasons are for choosing it, it’s good to know there are experts available at all times should you need them. Your hearing and aesthetic preferences are important, which is why Atlantic Audiology is dedicated to providing you with hearing aids that fit both. For more details about these specific offerings or to ask questions about any aspect of hearing loss or hearing aids, please call us today at (401) 262-0170.