Jan. 19, 2023 | Last August the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of over the counter hearing aids, devices that can be sold without a prescription. According to the FDA, an estimated 30 million people in the United States have a hearing loss, with only 20 percent of those using hearing aids for help. The move follows years of pressure from medical experts and consumer advocates to make the devices cheaper and easier to get. The new over-the-counter status doesn’t apply to devices for more severe hearing loss, which will remain prescription only. Right now there are more than a dozen manufacturers making different models of OTC hearing aids. When shopping for a hearing aid, Look for an OTC label on the box. Hearing aids approved by the FDA for sale without a prescription are required to be labeled OTC. That will help you distinguish over the counter hearing aids from cheaper devices sometimes labeled sound or hearing amplifiers.

Jan. 19, 2023 | Hearing aids can be useful in improving the hearing and speech understanding of people who have a hearing loss as a result of damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear, called hair cells. This type of hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss. The damage can occur as a result of disease, aging, or injury from noise or certain medicines. A hearing aid magnifies sound vibrations entering the ear. Surviving hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them into neural signals that are passed along to the brain. The greater the damage to a person’s hair cells, the worse the hearing loss, and the greater the hearing aid amplification needed to make up the difference. However, there are practical limits to the amount of amplification a hearing aid can provide. In addition, if the inner ear is too damaged, even large vibrations will not be converted into neural signals. In this situation, a hearing aid would be ineffective.

Jan. 19, 2023 | Hearing aids don’t always work for someone with hearing loss. A bone anchored implant can be an effective amplification treatment for persons with conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness.  This device includes a sound processor which is worn on the outside of the head.  The sound processor’s microphone picks up sounds and converts them into vibrations which are sent through the bone and directly to the inner ear.  Bone anchored implants can be surgically implanted, during which time a titanium implant is placed in the bone behind the ear.  They can also be used without being surgically implanted, in which case the sound processor is worn on a headband.  Children under five years of age are considered to be too young for surgical placement of this device. Children of this age may be able to use the hearing device on a soft headband. A trained hearing specialist will be able to explore this option with you.

Jan. 19, 2023 | A cochlear implant is one solution for those with hearing loss too significant for a hearing aid to help.  The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears while cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many people to understand other sounds in the environment and understand speech in person or over the telephone. Unfortunately, not everyone performs at the same level with this device. The decision to receive an implant should involve discussions with an experienced cochlear-implant surgeon and an audiologist.

Jan. 19, 2023 | The amplification device that will work best for you depends on the kind and severity of your hearing loss. If you have a hearing loss in both of your ears, two hearing aids are generally recommended because two aids provide a more natural signal to the brain. Hearing in both ears also will help you understand speech and locate where the sound is coming from. It can also help you hear better in noise.  You and your medical team should select an amplification device that best suits your needs and lifestyle. Price is also a key consideration because hearing aids range from hundreds to several thousand dollars. But don’t use price alone to determine the best one for you. For example, just because one hearing aid is more expensive than another does not mean that it will better suit your needs. Other features to consider include parts or services covered by the warranty, upgrade opportunities and the company’s customer service.