The Problem With Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids

If you are ever concerned about your hearing, the best thing that you can do is speak to an audiologist and consider whether hearing aids would be your best option for your future. They will be able to take you through the mistakes you could end up making with your hearing aids, as well as teach you how to maintain them. They will also fit you for your hearing aids and ensure that they fit into your ears with comfort and ease before sending you off into your life with your new hearing aids. This is the proper way to ensure that your hearing aids are the right ones.

The problem is that over-the-counter hearing aids are springing up in more and more stores – both in person and online. These are supposed to help you with your hearing, but what they’re really doing is going to be confusing for anyone with hearing loss. You deserve affordable hearing aids, but buying them over the counter without proper testing and fitting is going to cost you more in the long run when your hearing declines even further. There are consequences to using over the counter hearing aids and some of these are included here:

Get a Hearing Test

When you buy over the counter, you’re not having your hearing checked thoroughly by a professional. In fact, you’re doing yourself a disservice because you didn't get your hearing loss levels looked at. You might miss the fact that your hearing loss is tied to other health issues, too. Hearing tests with an experienced audiologist are in depth and they teach you all that you need to know about your hearing loss and why it’s happening.

Your Hearing Loss Isn't Equal to Everyone Else

Much like your fingerprint, your ability to hear is unique to you. You can’t just buy the same hearing aids as the ten people ahead of you in the eye and expect them to work well for you. You need to be able to adjust the levels of your hearing aids to ensure that you are hearing correctly, and you won’t get that with over-the-counter hearing aids. 

You also might not know how your hearing aids can support your hearing and change your life. You could be doing more harm than good in the hopes of getting an affordable option and it’s worth shining the spotlight on that fact because you deserve better – and so does your hearing. If you want hearing aids that are calibrated correctly, then seeking the help of an audiologist is the best thing to do right now. 

You Won’t Be Able to Program It

When you buy your hearing aids over the counter, you don't have an experienced audiologist programming it for you and teaching you how to use it to its best ability. Hearing aids today are far more sophisticated than the hearing instruments used fifty years ago and it’s vital that you are using yours in a way that will properly support your hearing. 

Make Smarter Choices

When you are buying hearing aids, you have to work on making smarter choices for your health. There are plenty of places that you can coupon and cut corners in life, but hearing aids are not the one. You have so many choices when it comes to hearing aids today, and yet the options are so great the chances are that you will feel overwhelmed. An audiologist will remove any of the questions you have and make you feel more at ease over your choices. In fact, they’ll be able to talk you through every single hearing aid type so that you know which one is better for you.

Whether you opt for an over-the-counter option or not, you need to get your hearing tested first and you need the advice of an audiologist. It’s a non-negotiable if you want your hearing to be looked after properly. You will be in a better, more informed position when you do this and you’ll be able to decide which hearing aid option best works for your needs when you choose a proper hearing test. 

You want the best solution for your future hearing, and with the right education and assistance, you can get just that. Making sure that you are in the know before you shop over the counter is vital for making the right choice, and it’s beneficial to get the right assistance before you go for it. So, call the experts today at Gavin Audiology and Hearing Aids at (914) 610-3440.