Follow Along as We Review the Effectiveness of Self-Fitting, Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
Hi, I’m Dr. Egan, and today we are going to do a little bit of an experiment with some over-the-counter sound amplifiers. Our Patient Care Coordinator, Nathalie, has agreed to be part of the experiment.
If you look at her recent hearing test, she actually has a mild to moderate low-frequency hearing loss in both of her ears, but more so in her right ear. Because she falls into that mild to moderate category—where over-the-counter hearing aids will hopefully be an option—we thought she would be the perfect person to test out these sound amplifiers. That’s what we’re going to walk through next.
But first, Nathalie is going to talk to us about her experience wearing these over the last few days.
Nathalie’s Experience with Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
“They are bulky in the ear, and for me, these actually make people sound further away. I seem to have trouble with the lower tones, and I would say that this picks up more treble for me.
I tried to adjust it in the app, but I didn’t notice a big difference. I tested it in a number of settings—I tried it in the grocery store, at a drive-through, and just hanging out at home. I tried several different settings, but everything just sounded like it was coming from weird angles. I couldn’t locate sound as well, and I wasn’t getting the lower tones that I needed.”
Testing with Real-Ear Measurement
So, what we are going to do today is use these Nuheara IQ Buds, which are some of the most popular sound amplifiers right now, and we are going to use Real-Ear Measurement to see exactly what they are doing and whether they are providing adequate prescriptive sound for what Nathalie is missing.
Because her hearing is worse in her right ear, that’s where we will start. I’m going to use our Real-Ear Measurement system—this is our measurement microphone, and I’m going to place it in her ear. Then, we will insert the hearing device.
She’s going to hear a passage about carrots, the vegetable, and we will analyze exactly what those hearing aids are doing. (Passage plays.)
Nathalie had several days to use these devices and tried to adjust them to where she felt they would help. If you look at this screen here, these purple dots are her prescription, and the purple line is what we measured.
This confirms my concerns about over-the-counter devices. They are far less sophisticated than even entry-level hearing aids and have fewer features. More importantly, none of what Nathalie was hearing was anywhere near the prescription she actually needed.
For saving $500 here and there, she wasn’t receiving any of the real benefit she required. If she had purchased these hearing aids, it would have been a complete waste of money.
The Takeaway
The moral of the story is: before you invest in these kinds of devices, make sure your hearing is tested by an audiologist. It’s essential to understand exactly what you are getting into because, more often than not, you’re buying something hoping it will help, but the actual difference it makes is slim to none.
Thank you for helping with this, Nathalie!
Thanks for watching! If you have any questions, please give Now Hear This Clinic a call. Otherwise, have a wonderful rest of your day—and enjoy this photo of my dog!
