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 start to become more particular in your taste as you get older. You start opting for the more specialized ice cream: the Turkey Hill, the Tillamook, the Ben & Jerry’s. Those little containers begin to become more appealing.
Still, if you’re hosting a big dinner party, you’re likely to go for those generic buckets of Kemp’s ice cream. Which means that every kind of ice cream has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Generic is good in certain circumstances, but you may want more specialized ice cream in other situations.
Obviously, we’re also talking about hearing aids here. Are newer over-the-counter hearing aids worthwhile? Well, much like our ice cream example, it depends on what you want to do.
There can be significant negative effects from hearing loss
Hearing loss can have a significant effect on your day-to-day experiences. When you have untreated hearing loss, you can experience social solitude, it’s more difficult to carry on even basic conversations, so you stay away from situations where you confront other people who may want to talk to you.
Which means you wind up estranged from your friends and family. You even steer clear of the cashier at the supermarket. It’s lonely. And as you age, your cognitive faculties can deteriorate faster.
So not only are you missing out on conversations with your loved ones (making holidays and birthdays a lot less fun, for example), but you have other health problems to worry about also!
How do over-the-counter hearing aids function?
It’s not difficult to recognize why people would want to go towards hearing aids that can be obtained easily, given the health consequences of hearing loss.
By their nature, over-the-counter hearing aids are made to be convenient. Instead of going to see a hearing specialist and getting fitted for hearing aids, you just walk into your local pharmacy. You grab a pair of these devices, pay for them, and head home. They essentially amplify all of the sound around you.
This can have a profoundly positive affect on your life.
In some cases over-the-counter hearing aids can work
In 2022 the Food and Drug Administration changed the rule about the distribution of hearing aids that allowed stores including pharmacies to sell them. The thinking was that if hearing aids were more readily available, you’d end up with fewer people who had neglected hearing loss.
It’s never been hard to obtain a prescription hearing aid, but it is a process. And sometimes, that process can cause people to stay away. For individuals who aren’t quite ready to make that leap, over-the-counter hearing aids can be a good substitute. But over-the-counter hearing aids weren’t designed to take the place of their prescription counterparts.
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.
What’s the difference between over-the-counter and prescription hearing aids?
As a general rule, prescription hearing aids are more powerful and have much more personalized features than OTC 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 particular circumstances. An OTC hearing aid might work best for you if:
- Your hearing loss is in the early phases and is very simple. For mild cases of hearing loss, these devices will work ok.
- You have no intention of getting your hearing assessed. (Some individuals never will, even though they definitely should.) An OTC hearing aid is generally better than no hearing aid at all.
- Your hearing specialist is suggesting an OTC. (For best outcomes, ask your hearing specialist to go over settings and style types that may work best for you.)
- You want a spare pair in case of emergencies.
Typically, OTC hearing aids are sold with certain presets already in place. If your hearing loss is in the lower wavelengths, some types will be best and if you have high-frequency hearing loss other models will be the best option. (So before you purchase a hearing aid, you should certainly get a better concept of your level and type of hearing loss.).
When OTC hearing aids are not a good fit
So, what are the disadvantages of over-the-counter hearing aids? Are there side effects of over-the-counter hearing aids?
Well, let’s just say that OTC hearing aids aren’t a good fit for everybody in every situation. Generally, OTC hearing aids might not be the right solution for you if:
- Exactly which hearing aid to invest in is still uncertain to you: The wrong hearing aids can actually make your hearing worse for someone with hearing loss. (It’s like the equivalent of using really loud earbuds.)
- When you’re in challenging and noisy spaces, you need to be able to hear. The majority of prescription hearing aids can be personalized depending on what you need to hear and where you need to hear it.
- Your hearing aids don’t fit very well. A custom fit is sometimes necessary for some people and OTC hearing aids don’t allow for this.
- A less expensive hearing aid that does not adequately manage your hearing loss probably isn’t worth the money you paid for it.
- You think OTC hearing aids will save you a lot of money. OTC hearing aids are usually almost as costly as their prescription-only alternative.
- Your hearing loss has advanced to a fairly profound stage. While OTC hearing aids can be good for mild and moderate hearing loss, profound hearing loss will need something more powerful and more refined.
What are the risks of over-the-counter hearing aids? You could be wasting good money and further damaging your ears by using OTC hearing aids if they’re not the best solution for your distinct hearing loss.
Either way, you should consult a hearing specialist
OTC hearing aids are a good fit for some individuals and prescription hearing aids are the best choice for others. But either way, making an appointment can help your hearing aids work better.
You will be capable of getting better treatment when you understand more about your hearing loss. Whether your hearing loss requires prescription hearing aids or OTC hearing aids, we can help you get the best treatment for your circumstance.
Similarly, we can help you better adjust to a new set of hearing aids, and get the most out of the technology.
If you think you have hearing loss and want to find out if OTC hearing aids are the right choice for you, make an appointment with us today.
