Remember when you used to be able to get those gallon buckets of ice cream at the supermarket? As a kid, they were awesome because they promised a whole gallon of ice cream, that’s a lot of frozen custard and high-fructose corn syrup!
But you start to become more particular in your taste as you mature. Your ice cream preferences get more specialized and you have a tendency to go for your favorite brand. All of a sudden, those smaller containers are the ones that are appealing.
But you will probably still go for that big bucket if you’re hosting a big dinner party. There are benefits and drawbacks to each choice. In some circumstances, you will want to go for the specialized selection, and in others, the generic will be a better solution.
Of course, we’re also discussing hearing aids here. How good are those new over-the-counter hearing aids? Well, much like our ice cream illustration, it depends on what you want to do.
There can be real detrimental effects from hearing loss
Your daily life can be significantly impacted by hearing loss. When you have untreated hearing loss, you can experience social isolation, it’s more difficult to carry on even simple conversations, so you stay away from situations where you encounter other people who may want to speak with you.
Which means you find yourself estranged from your friends and family. When you go to the supermarket you use self-checkout so you can steer clear of the cashiers. It isn’t a happy way to live. And it can cause a faster mental decline as you get older.
So not only are you failing to hear conversations with your loved ones (making holidays and birthdays a lot less enjoyable, for example), but you have other health problems to worry about also!
How do over-the-counter hearing aids function?
It’s not 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 very nature, over-the-counter hearing aids are designed to be convenient. You simply walk into your local pharmacy and you never have to make an appointment with a hearing specialist. You pick up a pair of these devices, pay for them, and go home. Once you put them in, they work to boost the sound around you.
This can have a profoundly positive impact on your life.
Over-the-counter hearing aids can work in some scenarios
Over-the-counter hearing aids started to appear in stores around late 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration made rule changes that allowed for their wider distribution. The thinking was that if hearing aids were more conveniently available, you’d wind up with fewer people who had neglected hearing loss.
It’s never been hard to purchase a prescription hearing aid, but it is a process. Many people, unfortunately, feel intimidated by this process so they stay away from it. For individuals who aren’t quite ready to take the step, over-the-counter hearing aids could be a good option. But prescription hearing aids were never meant to be replaced by over-the-counter models.
Unfortunately, this means that individuals now bear some of the burden of knowing when OTC hearing aids are a good choice (and when they aren’t).
How are OTC hearing aids different than prescription hearing aids?
As a general rule, prescription hearing aids are more powerful and have a lot more personalized features than OTC hearing aids. They won’t be personalized to your distinct needs and they won’t fit as well.
So, are over-the-counter hearing aids worthwhile at all? There actually can be some advantages to an OTC in particular situations. An OTC hearing aid may work best for you if:
- Your hearing specialist is suggesting an OTC. (For optimum outcomes, ask your hearing specialist to address settings and style types that may work best for you.)
- You want a spare set in case of emergencies.
- You have no intention of getting your hearing assessed. (Some people never will, even though they definitely should.) Generally speaking, using an OTC hearing aid will be better than using no hearing aid.
- Your hearing loss is in the early phases and is very simple. These devices are good for really mild or moderate hearing loss.
It’s fairly typical for OTC presets to be pre-programmed when you buy them. If your hearing loss is in the lower wavelengths, some models will be best and if you have high-frequency hearing loss other models will be the best choice. (This is why it’s good to understand more about your own hearing loss before you buy any hearing aid, OTC or not).
OTC hearing aids are frequently not the right option
So are there negative aspects to OTC hearing aids? Are there adverse side effects of over-the-counter hearing aids?
Well, let’s just say that OTC hearing aids aren’t a good fit for everyone in every situation. OTC hearing won’t be the ideal choice for you if:
- You have more profound hearing loss. More severe cases of hearing loss will require a more powerful prescription hearing aid while mild cases may do fine with OTC hearing aids.
- You need to hear in challenging or noisy settings. The majority of prescription hearing aids can be personalized depending on what you need to hear and where you need to hear it.
- You don’t know exactly which hearing aid to purchase: For some individuals who have hearing loss, the wrong hearing aids can actually damage their ears. (It’s not much different than if you crank your earbuds up to a really loud volume.)
- OTC hearing aids aren’t custom fit the way you may need them to be. A custom fit is frequently necessary for some people and OTC hearing aids don’t allow this.
- Is the money you paid really worth it if that OTC hearing aid isn’t effective in treating your hearing loss?
- You believe OTC hearing aids will save you a ton of money. Well, prescription hearing aids often don’t cost much more than OTC hearing aids.
What are the dangers 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
For some individuals, OTC hearing aids will be fine, but for others, prescription hearing aids will be appropriate. But either way, making an appointment can help your hearing aids work better.
That’s because learning more about your hearing loss will help you get better treatment. Whether your hearing loss calls for prescription hearing aids or OTC hearing aids, we can help you get the best treatment for your situation.
We can also help you get the most out of your new technology.
Schedule an appointment with us so we can help you find out what hearing aid type is best for you.
