WHEN HEARING AIDS HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED to you, there are many options to consider like the style, the circuitry, and price. At Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, we have had a few patients ask us about purchasing hearing aids through the internet. Although this may seem like a good idea at first and you may think you are saving money, in the long run the hearing aids will end up costing you more and may not be the best option for optimal hearing.
When you purchase a hearing aid through the internet, you may not be getting what you think. You may be getting a poorer-quality instrument or even an instrument with no instructions. You may also have to put the device together yourself. If the hearing aid needs to be adjusted or repaired, you may need to ship it back to the vender, incurring a shipping cost. With the continued adjustments, you could end up paying what you saved in shipping.
Another important aspect of purchasing hearing aids is the fit of the device. Poor-fitting hearing aids can lead to feedback, discomfort, and poor sound quality. With an internet purchase, a proper fit is not guaranteed because the shape and size of your ear canal are not considered. You may be getting a “one-size-fits-most” type of device.
Many internet or mail-order hearing aids will provide the hearing aid but not the programming or service. It is your responsibility to find a provider to program and service your hearing aid. Often, the providers will add in their fees for fitting and follow-up care. This cost should be considered when purchasing a hearing aid over the internet. In the long run, you may not be saving any money.
Many hearing aid manufacturers will not guarantee a hearing aid of theirs that was purchased through the internet. Often, these hearing devices are coming from overseas and are not registered with the hearing aid company or the programming is different from the same make and model that would have been purchased through a reputable outlet, making them useless. You just do not know what you are getting or where it is coming from when ordering a hearing aid through the internet.
Establishing a relationship with an audiologist is so important when you have hearing aids, and this relationship is lost with an internet purchase. Audiologists are highly trained professionals, most with a doctorate degree in audiology, who can evaluate your hearing and give you the appropriate recommendations. With the evaluation, a prescription is then obtained, and this is used to program the hearing aid to your specific needs. Without this evaluation, the hearing aid may not meet your needs and it will then end up in a drawer.
Your relationship with your audiologist does not stop there. Your audiologist will provide you with your hearing aid fitting, follow-up care, adjustments, warranty coverage, cleaning, and counseling right there in the office. At Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, we have three doctorate-level audiologists on staff to help you with your recommendations. Once this decision is made, you will see the same audiologist for each appointment. This will ensure that you maintain consistent hearing health care.
The hearing evaluation is a very important step in fitting a hearing aid. Without this evaluation, the appropriate hearing aids cannot be determined. When ordering hearing aids through the internet, you are often asked to take an online test. This test is not complete enough to establish what type of hearing aid is most appropriate, what type of hearing loss you have, or the degree of hearing loss.
An audiologist can spot a hearing loss due to medical reasons that may need the attention of a specialist. One of these conditions is Meniere’s disease. Meniere’s disease is a condition where a person has episodes of vertigo, fluctuating unilateral hearing loss, unilateral tinnitus, and fullness in the ear. If you have this condition, it needs to be managed by an ear, nose and throat specialist and any amplification that is used needs to be programmed with this fluctuating hearing loss in mind. An online test would miss other medical issues such as a sudden hearing loss, which needs immediate treatment if found.
Recruitment and poor speech understanding are other issues that are seen with hearing loss. Recruitment is a reduced tolerance of sound. Fitting a hearing aid on a patient with recruitment takes special care to make sure sound is audible but not uncomfortably loud. Poor speech understanding is when speech is unclear even at comfortable listening levels. A complete audiological evaluation will show if someone has any of these issues; an online test will not. You may be doing more harm than good if you are taking the online test to purchase hearing aids.
At Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, we will provide you with a complete audiological evaluation that will determine the type, degree, and severity of your hearing loss. With this information, we can refer you to a specialist if there is a medical cause to your hearing loss or if it is something that can be treated with amplification. We will also discuss your hearing needs and lifestyle so we can determine together the most appropriate level of technology for your hearing needs. Finally, if you have hearing aid benefits with your insurance, many times an evaluation by an audiologist is required for the insurance to provide coverage.
So, before you purchase that hearing aid over the internet or through mail order, you need to really think if this is the best choice for optimal hearing. When purchasing a hearing aid, you are not purchasing an amplifier for your ear, but a digital medical device that is regulated by the FDA like a pacemaker or an artificial joint. You would never purchase either of those through the internet.
If you or someone you know has a problem with their hearing, let the audiologists at Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic help. Contact one of our offices and schedule an appointment.
Dianna Randolph, AuD, CCC-A, is a Doctor of Audiology with Northwest Ohio Hearing Clinic, located at 1125 Hospital Dr., Suite 50 in Toledo (419-383-4012) and 1601 Brigham Dr., Suite 160 in Perrysburg (419-873-4327).
