Do you recall those gallon buckets of ice cream you used to get at supermarkets? As a kid, they were awesome because they offered a whole gallon of ice cream, that’s a lot of frozen custard and high-fructose corn syrup!
But as you get older, you start to get a little more particular. Your ice cream tastes get more specialized and you tend to go for your favorite brand. Those little containers begin to become more appealing.
Nevertheless, if you’re hosting a big dinner party, you’re likely to go for those generic buckets of Kemp’s ice cream. There are pros and cons to each choice. In some situations, you will want to go for the specialized selection, and in others, the generic will be a better solution.
This same attitude also applies to hearing aids. Are new over-the-counter hearing aids any good? Well, much like our ice cream illustration, it depends on what your goals are.
Hearing loss can have serious impacts
Your daily life can be seriously impacted by hearing loss. When you have untreated hearing loss, you can encounter social isolation, it’s harder to have even basic conversations, so you steer clear of situations where you encounter other individuals who may want to speak with you.
This can make you feel removed from your family and friends. When you go to the store you go to self-checkout so you can avoid the cashiers. It’s lonely. And it can bring about a faster cognitive decline as you get older.
So it’s not only that you’re unable to hear what your family and friends are saying, but you could also be enhancing your chances of other potentially severe health problems.
Over-the-counter hearing aids – how they work
It isn’t hard to recognize why people 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 designed to be convenient. You simply walk into your local pharmacy and you never need to schedule an appointment with a hearing specialist. You grab a pair of these devices, pay for them, and go home. They essentially amplify all of the sound around you.
This can have a profoundly positive impact on your life.
In some situations over-the-counter hearing aids can work
Over-the-counter hearing aids started to appear on store shelves in late 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration made rule changes that allowed for their broader distribution. The rule change aimed at getting hearing aids to more people who really need them for their neglected hearing loss.
It’s never been difficult to purchase a prescription hearing aid, but it is a process. Many individuals, regrettably, feel intimidated by this process so they avoid it. Over-the-counter hearing aids might not be a bad choice for people who just aren’t ready to deal with the process. 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 right choice lies with the individual.
How are OTC hearing aids different than prescription hearing aids?
In general, OTC hearing aids aren’t quite as powerful, efficient, or personalized as prescription hearing aids. They won’t be personalized to your specific needs and they won’t fit as well.
So, are over-the-counter hearing aids any good at all? There actually can be some advantages to an OTC in specific situations. An OTC hearing aid might work best for you if:
- You’ve consulted your hearing specialist, and they suggest using an OTC hearing aid. (For best results, ask your hearing specialist to go over settings and style types that might work best for you.)
- You’re never going to get a hearing test. (You really should. But we also acknowledge that some individuals simply never will.) An OTC hearing aid is typically better than no hearing aid at all.
- You want a spare pair in case of emergencies.
- Your hearing loss is in the early phases and is very simple. These devices are great for very mild or moderate hearing loss.
Usually, OTC hearing aids are sold with certain presets already programmed in. If your hearing loss is in the lower wavelengths, some types will be the right choice and if you have high-frequency hearing loss other designs will be the best option. (So before you buy a hearing aid, you should certainly get a better idea of your level and type of hearing loss.).
OTC hearing aids are often not the right choice
So are there downsides to OTC hearing aids? Will you experience undesirable effects from OTC hearing aids?
Well, let’s just say that OTC hearing aids aren’t a good fit for everyone in every situation. Generally, OTC hearing aids might not be the right solution for you if:
- When you’re in challenging and noisy settings, you need to be able to hear. Depending on what surroundings you need to hear in and exactly what you’re listening to, prescription hearing aids can be customized for those situations.
- Exactly which hearing aid to get is still uncertain to you: For some people who have hearing loss, the wrong hearing aids can actually harm their ears. (It’s not a lot different than if you crank your earbuds up to a really loud setting.)
- You have more profound hearing loss. While OTC hearing aids can be good for less significant hearing loss, severe hearing loss will require something more powerful and more refined.
- You believe OTC hearing aids will save you a lot of money. OTC hearing aids are frequently nearly as costly as their prescription-only alternative.
- Is the money you paid really worth it if that OTC hearing aid isn’t effective in treating your hearing loss?
- OTC hearing aids are not custom fit the way you may need them to be. A custom fit is sometimes necessary for some people and OTC hearing aids don’t allow for this.
What are the risks of over-the-counter hearing aids? In general, if you aren’t a good fit for OTC hearing aids, you could be wasting some money or making your hearing loss worse.
Either way, you should consult a hearing specialist
For some people, OTC hearing aids will be okay, but for others, prescription hearing aids will be appropriate. Whichever decision is best for your circumstance, your hearing aids will work better after you have an appointment with us.
You will be capable of getting better treatment once you know more about your hearing loss. We can help steer you toward the best hearing aid for your situation, whether it’s OTC or prescription.
We can also help you get the most out of your new technology.
Schedule an appointment with us so we can help you determine what hearing aid type is best for you.