Hearing Aids Without a Prescription - What Does This Mean?

@julieo4

Thanks for the article Julie. While I think OTC hearing aids were inevitable and a good thing for some people, I also think that too many people will be tempted, even myself with a profound loss, to purchase them online or at a pharmacy. We know that inappropriate sounds can further damage our hearing and I think some will lose more hearing faster if they choose this path.

Imagine buying hearing aids on Amazon or eBay, especially with a guaranteed return policy? How could you not? I know I need custom snug fitting molds.
Maybe I could make my own with a 3 d printer. You can get your own impression kit on Amazon. With the economy the way it is and will continue to be for a while, I think even Costco will lose hearing aid customers, especially as the prices on these OTCs will eventually go down.

People new to hearing loss and aids usually don’t understand all the intricacies involved with a proper fit or even what involves hearing loss. I doubt there will be much education about all that as companies rush in to grab a part of the market. Sounds gloomy but I hope some will be helped.

It’s not all gloomy though, and, at the very least, will bring more people to admit their hearing loss and try them…why not?

FL Mary

My husband for years insisted on buying so called hearing aids online. They never worked well or lasted. Finally I got him into Costco and he got a pair that actually fit him and worked (also got them hooked up to the TV). He is now showing enough signs of dementia to be diagnosed with it. He has problems with his HAs now but we can't tell if it his aids or the dementia. He has problems with anything mechanical (remotes, computers, phone, appliances, etc.)
Now he is back to wanting to order more HAs online. With his condition (and moderate to severe hearing loss) I know they won't work for him.
I also discovered the returning - regardless of what was promised - did not always work and I had to fight the charges through the credit card company. So save all correspondence. Get their return policy in writing to you. Keep records of dates ordered, received, returned etc.
Also Bill ran into a lot of scams re HAs - kept me very busy rescuing us from them.

I hear you and feel as you do about this issue. It is going to work well for some people, but others will be disappointed. There is always a chance of being taken advantage of with false promises.

Like you, and most other people with severe hearing loss, I have a custom fit ear mold. Everyone's ear canal is unique and fitting one of these requires skill. Once fit well, those ear molds stay securely in the ear.

Now, so many hearing aids are fit with 'domes' that are not custom fit. While they must work OK, I wonder if they truly can replace the custom fit. I say this because I often see people with hearing aids on who have the domes out of place. They pop out of the ear canal because they can. These domes are one of the reasons why OTC hearing aids can exist.

I don't know if any of the OTC aids will have telecoils. I wonder what kind of return policies will be included in sales. It is going to be interesting to get feedback from the people who buy them.

For many this will be an entry level device that will help. Most hearing loss is progressive, so hopefully they will pursue better products in time,

I guess we have to give it a chance and wait and see.

Do you think the instructions and/or printing on the package of these OTC devices will be large enough for people to read?

...very interesting and the concerns expressed above, valid; but my first thought was ; now people who cannot afford 5 to 7 thousand dollars for hearing aids will have a chance at being able to hear better. If the inflated cost of the audiologists' hearing aids were not completely unaffordable for many, perhaps there would not even be a market for these 'cheaper' ones. Similar to eyeglasses., the frames where I buy mine, at optometrist in Ontario Canada are way way overpriced - a friend who visits Florida once a year buys her frames in USA for quarter the price, thing is, if getting lenses need the optometrist's measurements...but many folk who cannot afford needed prescription glasses go to the dollar stores and buy glasses for reading etc, and really have no other choice.
How can something that cost five thousand via audiologist now be replaced by something les than five hundred dollars and work the same; time will tell.

@julieo4

Hi Julie

I never thought about the size of the instructions and know what you mean...so many interior packaging have tiny print. I know there are regulatory recommendations about what is included in the instructions both inside and outside such as being over 18. The concern is that, for someone who will be trying their first pair of hearing aids and bypassing an audiologist....how do they know the level of their hearing loss. Certainly, someone under 18 would be able to purchase them. What about dexterity....how small are the buttons or switches.
The domes may not be appropriate and a custom mold would be necessary. Apart from an audiological evaluation which should be the first step, your concern about a tcoil is correct.
I foresee many being dissatisfied with them when an audiologist is bypassed.

People generally gravitate towards hearing aids many years after they really need them. I am not being a naysayer on the idea at all...just thinking of things that will come up during and after the purchase. We all agree hearing aids are expensive but price alone can't be the motivator to buy online. I wonder how many audiologists would be willing to prescribe a hearing aid mold or to make an adjustment if purchased online....maybe same some will for a set fee.

It's all so new yet. As @lacy 2 mentioned about eyeglasses....yes you can get frames cheaper elsewhere with a prescription from an ophthalmologist. I did that once from a chain and the
prescription was filled wrong. Found that out when I went back a year later and got new ones from my doctor....I knew something was wrong and thought it was my eyes.

There are pitfalls to everything. But it will be interesting to see if anyone here posts their experiences....sure would love to hear about that.

FL Mary

Yes, I have all the same thoughts about this that you have. It will be interesting. I sincerely hope it might make the cost of prescriptive hearing aids come down.

When people ask me about 'big box' hearing aids, which are not necessarily OTC, I always suggest they have a hearing test done by a certified audiologist. Ask for a copy of their audiogram and use it when seeking help at places like Costco.

It shouldn't be all about $, but it often is. My hearing loss and the products I have needed since the early 1970s have cost my family dearly, but they/we made the sacrifice necessary to keep me in the hearing mainstream. I am lucky and thankful.

It's just a shame that the industry has not done whatever they needed to do to get insurance companies to buy into to providing support. Do you suppose it has to do with trust? Look at the cost of other electronic devices. My first calculator cost me $150. Today they are given away as promo items at conventions! Why do hearing aids cost so much?

The article and took notes . Bg thanks as I have to make some sort of decision in the near future on a very small budget Thank you very much. Up here in Canada the audiologist told me $4000. To $8000 an ear and suggested I needed them for both ears….even tho I only had 20% loss in one ear.!! But shall chk out the info in the article.Many thanks.

@billchitwood Part of me wants to side with your husband. Regardless of his dementia, its possible that he did not see an improvement with a better fit and better technology. I am tired of the promises from the manufacturers that state their product is best for background noise. They know that is our number one complaint and take advantage of that with their marketing. My hearing loss is hereditary on my fathers side. My dad is 92 and he has dementia. He, too, does not embrace technology. There is a link between hearing loss and dementia so I'm concerned that his dementia may have been delayed if he would have used two hearing aids as he should have. He has two now but I remember when I first got my second aid, he said that it would be a "cold day in hell" before he wore two. Not sure what convinced him to finally get that second aid. Because of his dementia, it makes me want to get a cochlear implant before my hearing is too bad. I'm already in the severe to profound range. I know the CI criteria has changed so I may indeed now be a candidate. I do not understand speech with my hearing aids out but I do like the residual hearing that I have.
Tony in Michigan

@tonyinmi

Although there is a link between dementia and hearing loss, it is not necessarily true that, in your father’s case, his dementia would have been delayed if he wore one or two hearing aids. It may have been inevitable .

I have been in the profound range for over 10 years and am at the point where a CI would probably help me and I am still debating that for my left, worse ear so I understand your concern about possibly going that route. I too was concerned about my residual hearing. At this point (81) , my residual hearing on my right good ear is minor.

Your residual hearing, as long as you wear aids, may or may not diminish as you age. And, yes , all hearing aid manufacturers promise their products are the best. But, in fairness, they have come such a long way in their research and technology. I think if the current technology was available to me 10 or even 20 years ago, I would be in a better place with my hearing .

I have read that the longer you have hearing loss and, as you age, the less successful CIs will be. I had gone for a bone conduction evaluation and was not a candidate. She explained all the types of CIs and understood my reluctance to go that route. She was also very honest in her opinion about how much a CI would help me at this point . For my left ear which has less than 20% hearing, putting it in layman’s terms, she said there was a possibility of getting it up to 50 or 60%. I would not consider it for my right , better ear even though I cannot understand any speech without an aid or hear anything other than low sounds. This is because I have macular degeneration in my right eye after a retinal detachment in the 80s and have a metal clip on the retina. The Mac den is being treated successfully and I do not want to jeopardize any nerves on that size by going through surgery.

My audiologist is also honest with me and let’s me try anything new I want with no obligations. I have a very limited range she can work with and she said that that many of the new devices out there are not going to help much, if any. Assisted devices don’t work well for me so I rely on captioned apps.

So, I understand your conundrum. You are worried about dementia being hereditary for you. On the other hand, you do not want to lose any residual hearing and you certainly sound like a CI candidate.

As for hearing aids….there will always be the potential of better hearing with newer better aids. That’s the lure and aim of the marketing. Any breakthroughs in treating hearing loss will probably come through stem cell technology…not in my lifetime though.

Got off the topic but kind of excited to see a news segment on the local news about the OTC hearing aids…the good and the bad. Anyway, this will bring more attention and awareness to the whole issue.

FL Mary

It did improve his hearing a lot - the 'cheap' online ones he kept buying didn't help his understanding at all. A complete waste of not only money but time. Research has been connecting loss of hearing in older people with dementia for various reasons - one being isolation. He refused to interact even with family as he couldn't hear them.

Last night he fell again - INTO the bath tub. After over an hour of attempting to get out of it with me bringing him pillows, towels, etc., he finally conceded and let me call 911. They had him up and out within minutes.