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Non-Prescription Over the Counter Hearing Aids
Hearing Loss | Last Active: Mar 9, 2023 | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
Background noise is definitely the most frequent complaint by people who have even a mild degree of hearing loss. Those with more severe hearing loss have even more trouble in those environments. Sadly, many of those environments are social settings.
It was mentioned that some of the OTC hearing aids are simple 'amplifiers'. That indicates that all sounds are amplified. That includes the background noise. Many of the more sophisticated hearing aids include noise suppression. Of course, those are the hearing aids that cost several thousand dollars a pair. There is little doubt that people with severe hearing loss; those who test poorly in a professional audiological exam, will find the OTC devices very helpful. Those OTC devices range in cost from under $100 to over $1000.
The best advice I can give is to be sure when you buy...to try in all logical settings...and make sure there is a return policy for the device you are trying. It's very possible that your hearing loss may be better helped with more sophisticated technology.
Replies to "Background noise is definitely the most frequent complaint by people who have even a mild degree..."
This is my opinion. If you do not know where to purchase your new hearing aids a University or hospital with an audiology department is recommended. I was scammed by people selling hearing aids with their large ads that may be interested in selling you their smallest most expensive hearing aids that may not accommodate your hearing loss. You really need a graduate audiologist from an accredited university with a license to help you choose the proper hearing aid for your hearing loss. One that has many brands of hearing aids to choose from for your hearing loss. I feel that OTC hearing aids do not have the programs one needs to accommodate their hearing loss.
Hermine Willey
cohear@aol.com
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Very informative. For example I have tried using my iPhone's hearing assist mode and not found it anywhere near as effective as my $300 pair of OTC BTE hearing aids which for my mild senior citizen hearing loss has opened up my world of hearing everything much better even in some noisy background situations. The iPhone acts like Julie's reference to simply amplifying the combined audio and noise background without any noise reduction technology of many true hearing aids. However, my iPhone tests did not take advantage of a remote pick-up microphone near the target audio source and that may be an option if explored further. Of course choosing a hearing aid model that has a "T-Coil" option in the hearing aids is one of the best ways to help eliminate background noise and receive only the magnetic loop broadcast of the audio source if you are in a "looped" environment such as your local church service may have. My next OTC aids will definitely have that option and may be worth the extra cost as more and more facilities install hearing assist loops.