While buying over-the-counter hearing aids may sound like a great idea, there are many reasons why prescription hearing aids can do better. Learn more!
Many times, when people first realize they’re having trouble hearing adequately, it can be frightening. Sometimes, people will avoid seeing a professional audiologist and look for a self-treatment solution. This can lead to purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids that may not be the right fit.
What are the Benefits of OTC Hearing Aids
The biggest perceived benefit of OTC hearing aids is that you can get them without a prescription. Most drug stores will go over a small selection of OTC hearing aids that work to amplify sound. They are much cheaper to purchase than prescribed hearing aids.
Should You See a Hearing Care Professional?
While at first glance, it may seem like a good idea to invest in OTC hearing aids, you may want to think again. Going to see a hearing aid specialist comes with many great benefits. First and foremost, they will examine your hearing and determine what specific frequencies you’re having trouble with. Not everyone’s hearing loss is solved by simply enhancing all the sounds in their environment with an OTC hearing aid.
Instead, a hearing care specialist can match you with the best hearing aids to meet your individual hearing loss problems. They can uniquely tailor the settings to ensure that only the sound frequencies you struggle to hear are amplified. The best part is that the settings can be changed as your hearing loss changes over time.
The Benefits of Prescription Hearing Aids
Prescription hearing aids come with many great benefits that you simply can’t get with traditional OTC hearing aids. First, they’re constructed to fit your ear. OTC hearing aids are considered one-size-fits-all devices, which usually don’t fit many people very well. When your hearing aids don’t fit, they can be a hassle. In fact, you may give up wearing them after a while.
With prescription hearing aids, you can be assured that they sit appropriately in your ear and are comfortable and highly effective. Prescription hearing aids come with a lot more technology than OTC options. You can typically connect wirelessly to your smartphone, computer, car stereo, or other wireless devices for easy streaming.
Most modern hearing aids come with a plethora of technology to make hearing in different environments a real breeze. Two of the biggest struggles that people using OTC hearing aids have are background noise and feedback. These are two areas where modern prescription hearing aids excel. Many newer options will automatically adjust to the type of environment you’re in, such as a noisy restaurant, and work to eliminate the background noise while enhancing the foreground noise to make it easier for you to have a conversation.
Contact Us Today
If you’re struggling with hearing loss, contact us at Beltone Skoric Hearing Aid Center. Let our hearing care specialists perform a formal examination and provide you with the best hearing aid options to meet your needs.
Resources:
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/over-counter-hearing-aids
