Q: My mother needs hearing aids. I’d like to buy her hearing aids online to save her money and to save me time so I don’t have to bring her to appointments. Is this a good idea?
A: Buying hearing aids online may seem like an easy way to save money and time. However, there are many important steps that are missed when purchasing a complex medical device like a hearing aid online.
To be fit properly, hearing aids are digitally programmed to fit the specific hearing loss of the person wearing them. Each person hears differently at different pitches or frequencies, and a one-size-fits-all hearing aid with a standard volume control will make sound too loud at certain pitches and too soft at others. Having the hearing aid turned up too loud could actually damage the ear.
Additionally, the hearing aids need to be sized to fit the person’s ear size and shape. Buying them online will not give a good fit for all people. Not everyone can use the same size hearing aid or ear piece that fits in the ear canal. This often leads to pain and discomfort on the part of the hearing aid user, and then the hearing aids aren’t worn.
Important medical treatment could be missed when ordering a hearing aid online and skipping the testing and hearing aid fitting appointments. The audiologist performing the hearing test will assess whether the person with the hearing loss should be referred to an ear, nose and throat physician to determine whether the hearing loss could be fixed surgically or with medication before proceeding with hearing aids.
The audiologist who dispenses the hearing aids to your mother will also see her periodically to reassess her hearing loss and hearing needs and determine whether the hearing aids need adjustments for her hearing loss, hearing comfort, or fit of the hearing aids. The audiologist will also monitor the amount of earwax in the ear canals so that the hearing aids won’t be damaged by the ear wax and will perform their best. Missing these steps can lead to your mother not wearing the hearing aids due to malfunction of the hearing aids or the hearing aids not being set optimally for your mother’s hearing loss and ear canal shape.
So, while it may seem like a simple step to save money and time and purchase the hearing aids online for your mother, you’d be missing crucial steps that would allow her to be fit properly with hearing aids or be referred for needed medical treatment. In the end, you may spend more time and money when the internet hearing aids don’t work for her and you have to start the process over again.
Shelly Horvat, 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).
