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Ear buds. Can They Replace Hearing Aids? Can They Cause Hearing Loss?
We live in times when hearing loss affects nearly 20% of our country's population. Hearing aids can be purchased as 'over the counter' (OTC) devices. They can also be prescriptive devices. The cost differential is huge. Lots of choices out there along with important decisions if you want to help yourself live well with hearing loss and prevent it from getting worse.
Yes, hearing loss creates social isolation. Yes, prescriptive hearing aids cost too much. Yes, hearing loss in most cases, means we can 'hear', but we have trouble 'understanding'. It gets worse over time. It's frustrating and stressful. People don't understand how this affects us. We don't understand it ourselves.
It's very important to protect our hearing, especially when we realize it's not as good as it used to be. It's important to protect our psychosocial well-being by not ignoring this is happening to us. Learn as much as possible by asking questions, talking to other people who experience hearing loss, and by using available technology that helps once you figure out what that is.
OTC hearing aids, for the most part, are amplifiers. They don't clarify speech understanding. Most pick up extraneous background noise which is the culprit in misunderstanding. Prescriptive hearing aids are far more sophisticated, but they must be fitted properly based on your individually diagnosed hearing loss. Even then, they do not bring back perfect hearing. They also pick up background noise in typical social settings. (There are assistive technology devices that can help with that, but that's a different topic.)
So, what about ear buds? Ear buds can be fit tightly enough to allow a person to tune in to music, podcasts, etc. as they block out everything else. Bluetooth included in hearing aids can also do that by allowing us to hear on our cell phones without background noise. There is a double-edged sword here called 'the Noise Monster!' When we turn whatever we are using up too loud, or listen on it too long, we risk noise induced hearing loss.
It is very important for all of us, especially those who know they have hearing loss...even a small degree of hearing loss...to protect our hearing. I thought you might find a recent article from the Hearing Health Foundation's website on that topic of interest.
https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/3-signs-our-earbuds-are-actually-damaging-our-hearing
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I have read that Apple Earpods Pro 3 have a hearing aid feature that can help those with moderate hearing loss.
These devices have been tested and reviewed by hearing specialists. A number of the reviews are available on Youtube.
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1 ReactionAs I understand it, ear buds are for increased amplification, used for casual entertainment, whereas hearing aids are medical devices to treat hearing loss.
I am, for one, not very interested in the former, and also in light of all the AI advances being made, such as DNN, health monitoring, etc. in hearing aids.
@comeagain Since my previous post I have purchased Apple Air Pods Pro 3 (AAPP3). The FDA has classified them as OTC hearing aids as they have a hearing aid function in addition to their main functions as ear buds for music, phone calls and noise cancellation modes.
I bought them as back up hearing aids. My prescription aids are Oticon Real 3. My hearing loss is classified as mild to moderate. I find the AAPP3 to be a fantastic value at $199.00. They function well for me in quiet to moderately noisy environments, although not as good as the Oticons. The AAPP3 are not good in very noisy environments - but my Oticon Real 3 aids are not good either in very noisy environments.
I do look forward in about two years to buying new prescription aids with the latest advancements.
I find that the Ear Buds work very well with calls on my iPhone. If have my hearing aid in use I put it on speaker to hear the caller
I paid $7000 for Starkey, In The Canal, (ITC), hearing aids and have been using them for 3 years, generally satisfied with them; however, I still can’t understand conversations that aren’t directly facing me; therefore, I miss out on side conversations, which is frustrating.
@robertyu If your hearing loss is severe to profound ITC hearing aids just don’t offer the power you need. You might want to try BTE hearing aids. That along with a good audiologist and custom ear molds can do wonders for you.
Yes people will notice you are wearing hearing aids but you won’t miss as much that people are saying.
Good luck to you.