On July 13th, Congress passed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017. Introduced by Elizabeth Warren and Charles Grassley, and supported by countless others was designed to make solutions for hearing health accessible to more Americans.
These are exciting times, and we wholeheartedly agree that more Americans DO need better access to hearing solutions.
However, it’s unclear whether free-for-all, self-diagnosed access is the right solution.
Here are a few reasons why you should NOT purchase over-the-counter hearing aids:
Self-diagnosis is highly inaccurate.
Of the folks who suffer from hearing loss, only a small fraction of them are capable of accurately self-diagnosing the actual degree of hearing loss they are experiencing, let alone if it’s both ears or only one.
You get what you pay for.
If you are purchasing the cheapest solution, you are going to get a not-great result. It may give you some extra hearing ability, but it won’t fix the problem.
You might not really need a hearing aid.
There is a conceivable situation that the only reason you really can’t hear is because you’ve got a ton of wax impacted in your ear. If you just assume and get a hearing aid, you not only won’t really notice a difference, you aren’t addressing the real problem (that you didn’t even realize you had!)
Give us a call. Make an appointment. Change your life.
Nothing can compare to a hearing assessment in an audiologist’s office. The benefits of seeing an actual trained professional outweigh the risks of choosing the wrong option. We can’t wait to help you gain a better hearing lifestyle. Here at Anderson Audiology we are committed to better hearing and committed to you! Contact us today and schedule an appointment.