- Over-the-counter hearing aids are only for users who are age 18 or older.
- This hearing aid is for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. How do you know if you have this?
- You have trouble hearing speech in noisy places.
- You find it hard to follow speech in groups.
- You have trouble hearing on the phone.
- Listening makes you tired.
- You need to turn up the volume on the TV or radio, and other people complain it's too loud.
- Some people with hearing loss may need help from a hearing healthcare professional. How do you know if you need to see one?
- You have severe or profound hearing loss.
- You can't hear speech even if the room is quiet.
- You don't hear loud sounds well. For example, you don't hear loud music, power tools, engines, or other very noisy things.
- You feel this hearing aid does not help you enough.
- You should see a hearing healthcare professional if:
- Your ear had a birth defect or an unusual shape.
- Your ear was injured or deformed in an accident.
- You saw blood, pus, or fluid coming out of your ear in the past 6 months.
- Your ear feels painful or uncomfortable.
- You have a lot of ear wax, or you think something could be in your ear.
- You get really dizzy or have a feeling of spinning or swaying (called vertigo).
- Your hearing changed suddenly in the past 6 months.
- Your hearing changes: it gets worse, then it gets better again.
- Your hearing is worse in one ear.
- You hear ringing or buzzing in only one ear.
- This product will not restore hearing and will not prevent or improve a medical condition that causes hearing loss. This product is designed to help you make greater use of your remaining hearing ability. You should keep in mind that it can take time to adjust to hearing new sounds.
- People who start using hearing aids sometimes need a few weeks to get used to them.
- Many people may need auditory training or instruction in lip-reading to help them get the most out of their hearing aids.
It is good health practice for a person with hearing loss to have a medical evaluation by a licensed physician (preferably a physician who specializes in diseases of the ear). Licensed physicians who specialize in diseases of the ear are often referred to as otolaryngologists, otologists, or otorhinolaryngologists. The purpose of a medical evaluation is to assure that all medically treatable conditions that may affect hearing are identified and treated.
