Remember when you used to be able to find those gallon buckets of ice cream at the grocery store? A whole gallon of ice cream, yum!
But you begin to become more specific in your taste as you mature. You begin going for the more specialized ice cream: the Haagen-Daaz, the Tillamook, the Ben & Jerry’s. Those little containers begin to become more appealing.
But you will still probably go for that big bucket if you’re hosting a large dinner party. There are benefits and drawbacks to each choice. Generic is good in certain situations, but you might want more specialized ice cream in other situations.
This same mentality also applies to hearing aids. How effective are those new over-the-counter hearing aids? Well, it’s much like that ice cream: it depends on what your goals are.
There can be real detrimental effects from hearing loss
Your day-to-day life can be seriously impacted by hearing loss. When you have untreated hearing loss, you can experience social solitude, it’s more difficult to have even simple conversations, so you avoid situations where you confront other individuals who may want to speak with you.
This can make you feel distant from your friends and family. You even steer clear of the cashier at the supermarket. It’s not a happy way to live. And it can lead to a faster mental decline as you age.
So it’s not just that you’re unable to hear what your friends and family are saying, but you could also be increasing your chances of other potentially serious health issues.
Over-the-counter hearing aids – how they function
It isn’t hard to recognize why individuals would want to go towards hearing aids that can be bought easily, given the health consequences of hearing loss.
By their nature, over-the-counter hearing aids are made to be convenient. You just go into your local pharmacy and you never have to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. You’re going home right after you pick up and pay for these devices. They basically amplify all of the sound around you.
Your life can be significantly and positively impacted by this.
Over-the-counter hearing aids can work in some situations
Over-the-counter hearing aids started to appear on store shelves in late 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration made some changes to certain rules that allowed for their broader distribution. The thinking was that if hearing aids were more conveniently available, you’d end up with fewer people who had neglected hearing loss.
It’s never been hard to get a prescription hearing aid, but it is a process. And sometimes, that process can cause people to stay away. For people who aren’t quite ready to make that leap, over-the-counter hearing aids can be a good substitute. But prescription hearing aids were never meant to be replaced by over-the-counter models.
But this means that some of the burden of understanding when over-the-counter hearing aids are or aren’t the best option lies with the individual.
What’s the difference between over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids?
Generally speaking, OTC hearing aids are not quite as powerful, capable, or customizable as prescription hearing aids. They won’t be personalized to your distinct needs and they won’t fit as well.
So is there anything useful or positive about OTC hearing aids? Well, yes, in some situations. OTC hearing aids might be the best option if:
- You want a spare pair to use for emergencies.
- Your hearing loss is in the early stages and is very simple. These devices are great for very mild or moderate hearing loss.
- You’ve checked with your hearing specialist, and they suggest using an OTC hearing aid. (Hopefully, your hearing specialist will even recommend which style or type, and what settings will work best.)
- You have no plan to get your hearing test. (You really should. But we also understand that some people just never will.) An OTC hearing aid is typically better than no hearing aid at all.
It’s fairly common for OTC presets to be pre-programmed when you buy them. If your hearing loss is in the lower frequencies, some models will be best and if you have high-frequency hearing loss other models will be the best choice. (So before you buy a hearing aid, you should certainly get a better concept of your level and type of hearing loss.).
When OTC hearing aids aren’t a practical fit
So are there negative aspects to OTC hearing aids? Will you experience unwanted effects from OTC hearing aids?
Well every situation won’t call for OTC hearing aids, let’s just say. In general, OTC hearing aids might not be the right solution for you if:
- You need to hear in challenging or noisy settings. Depending on what settings you need to hear in and precisely what you’re listening to, prescription hearing aids can be personalized for those situations.
- A cheaper hearing aid that does not sufficiently treat your hearing loss most likely isn’t worth the money you paid for it.
- Your hearing aids don’t fit well. Sometimes, you may require something with a custom fit, which is only feasible with a prescription hearing aid.
- You have more profound hearing loss. More severe cases of hearing loss will require a more powerful prescription hearing aid while minor cases may do fine with OTC hearing aids.
- You believe OTC hearing aids will save you a ton of money. Well, prescription hearing aids commonly don’t cost a great deal more than OTC hearing aids.
- You don’t know precisely which hearing aid to buy: The wrong hearing aids can actually make your hearing worse for someone with hearing loss. (It’s not a lot different than if you crank your earbuds up to a really loud volume.)
Are there any risks that come with OTC hearing aids? You could be wasting good money and doing more damage to your ears by using OTC hearing aids if they’re not the best solution for your specific hearing loss.
Either way, you should consult a hearing specialist
For some individuals, OTC hearing aids will be fine, but for others, prescription hearing aids will be necessary. But either way, scheduling an appointment can help your hearing aids work better.
You will be able to get better treatment once you understand more about your hearing loss. We can help guide you toward the best hearing aid for your symptoms, whether it’s OTC or prescription.
Similarly, we can help you better adjust to a new pair of hearing aids, and get the most out of the technology.
If you believe you have hearing loss and want to find out if OTC hearing aids are right for you, schedule an appointment with us today.
