Do you recall those gallon buckets of ice cream you used to get at grocery stores? A whole gallon of ice cream, yum!
But as you get older, you start to get a bit more particular. You begin opting for the more specialized ice cream: the Turkey Hill, the Tillamook, the Ben & Jerry’s. All of a sudden, those smaller containers are the ones that are enticing.
Nevertheless, if you’re hosting a large dinner party, you’re likely to spring for those generic Kemp’s ice cream buckets. Which means that each kind of ice cream has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. In some circumstances, you will want to go with the specialized selection, and in others, the generic will be the best choice.
Of course, we’re also referring to hearing aids here. Are newer over-the-counter hearing aids any good? Well, it’s much like that ice cream: it depends on what your goals are.
There can be significant detrimental effects from hearing loss
Your daily life can be seriously impacted by hearing loss. Social isolation that often comes along with hearing loss can cause you to abstain from having conversations because you can’t hear what others are saying.
This can cause you to feel distant from your family and friends. You even steer clear of the cashier at the supermarket. It’s lonely. And it can lead to a faster mental decline as you age.
So it’s not only that you can’t hear what your friends and family are saying, but you could also be enhancing your risk of other potentially severe health issues.
How do over-the-counter hearing aids function?
It’s not hard to recognize why individuals would want to go towards hearing aids that can be obtained easily, given the health repercussions of hearing loss.
Convenience is the very backbone of the attraction of over-the-counter hearing aids. You simply walk into your local pharmacy and you never need to make an appointment with a hearing specialist. You grab a pair of these devices, pay for them, and head home. Once you put them in, they function to amplify the sound around you.
This can have a profoundly positive impact on your life.
Over-the-counter hearing aids can do the trick in some scenarios
Over-the-counter hearing aids began appearing on store shelves in late 2022 after the Food and Drug Administration made some changes to certain rules that allowed for their wider distribution. The idea was that if hearing aids were more readily available, you’d end up with fewer people who had untreated hearing loss.
You’ve always had to go through somewhat of a process to get prescription hearing aids. And in some cases, that process can keep people away. Over-the-counter hearing aids may not be a bad solution for individuals who just aren’t ready to make the leap. But over-the-counter hearing aids were not designed to replace their prescription counterparts.
But this means that some of the burden of recognizing when over-the-counter hearing aids are or aren’t the appropriate 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 a lot more customizable functions than OTC hearing aids. They will also not fit quite as well, and they won’t be personalized to your needs.
So is there anything helpful or beneficial about OTC hearing aids? There actually can be some advantages to an OTC in certain situations. An OTC hearing aid may work best for you if:
- You want a spare set to use for emergencies.
- You have really basic or early-stage hearing loss. These devices are good for very mild or moderate hearing loss.
- Your hearing specialist is recommending an OTC. (For optimum outcomes, ask your hearing specialist to go over settings and style types that might work best for you.)
- You have no plan to get your hearing assessed. (You really should. But we also understand that some individuals just never will.) An OTC hearing aid is typically better than no hearing aid at all.
Typically, OTC hearing aids are sold with specific presets already in place. If your hearing loss is in the lower frequencies, some types 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 often not the best choice
So, what are the drawbacks to over-the-counter hearing aids? Are there side effects of over-the-counter hearing aids?
Well every situation won’t include OTC hearing aids, let’s just say. Generally, OTC hearing aids might not be the right solution for you if:
- 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 this.
- When you’re in complex and noisy settings, you need to be able to hear. Depending on what settings you need to hear in and exactly what you’re listening to, prescription hearing aids can be customized for those situations.
- 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.
- Is the money you paid really worth it if that OTC hearing aid isn’t effective in treating your hearing loss?
- You have more severe hearing loss. More profound cases of hearing loss will call for a more powerful prescription hearing aid while minor cases may do fine with OTC hearing aids.
- Exactly which hearing aid to get is still unknown to you: For some people who have hearing loss, the wrong hearing aids can actually harm their ears. (It’s not much different than if you crank your earbuds up to a really loud setting.)
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 suitable for some people and prescription hearing aids are the best choice for others. Whichever option is best for your circumstance, your hearing aids will work better after you get an appointment with us.
That’s because learning more about your hearing loss will help you get better treatment. Whether your hearing loss requires 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.
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.