Common Hearing Aid Misconceptions That People Believe In
Hearing aids are great devices that can help people experiencing hearing loss to reconnect with the world. Millions of people across the country rely on these listening devices. However, many first-time users tend to believe certain misconceptions about this appliance. Before you visit an audiologist for a hearing aid evaluation, here are a few common misconceptions about hearing aids:
Hearing Aids Can Completely Restore Hearing
A common misconception people tend to believe in is that hearing aids are these miraculous devices that can completely restore their hearing. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Hearing aids can improve your hearing, but they can only do so much.
Hearing aids aren’t designed to cure hearing loss fully, and it’s because of the complexity of how our brains process sounds. These devices are not able to fully compensate for distortions in neural activity. In crowded situations, usually, we can quickly tune in to different conversations and sounds. Some higher-end hearing aids can help tune these sounds for you, but they cannot do it as accurately as healthy ears.
These listening devices are more of a corrective measure than a cure, like what prescription glasses can do to your vision. As time passes, hearing aids will require recalibration, adjustment, and refitting so that they can still help you hear.
Hearing Aids Don’t Work for Me
Some people believe that their hearing loss is so bad that using hearing aids won’t help at all. This is where a proper hearing aid evaluation comes in.
Many factors can affect a person’s level of hearing loss. These include the person’s age, exposure to loud noises, ear canal size, etc. A proper evaluation from an audiologist can help in determining what kind of hearing aid a person needs.
And if the hearing loss gets worse, audiologists can readjust the hearing aid settings. That way, your hearing aid would still work as intended.
Only the Elderly Require Hearing Aids
People tend to assume that hearing loss is only an issue that can happen to people as they age. Although age-related hearing loss, also known as presbycusis, is common, long-term exposure to harmful noises can deteriorate your hearing even while you’re young.
This type of hearing loss is known as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and it can happen at any age. No matter what type of hearing loss you’re suffering from, you will need a hearing aid.
Hearing Aids Can Make Me Look Old
Some believe that hearing aids are bulky and would make them look older. That’s not the case with modern listening devices. They now come in different types and sizes. Certain hearing aid types, such as invisible-in-canal (IIC) and in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids, are so small they can fit inside the ear canal.
You Only Need One Hearing Aid
This misconception stems from the idea that if you’re only experiencing hearing loss in one ear, the other will compensate for the loss. As such, you’ll only need to have a single hearing aid. However, this myth couldn’t be further from the truth.
We hear better using both of our ears. Relying only on one ear when you’re having difficulty with the other can make hearing certain sounds harder. You may also have a more challenging time trying to understand speech when there’s significant background noise. Over time, your brain will be less effective at decoding sounds using the dead ear. Getting a pair of hearing aids can help provide a complete listening experience and give your brain all of the auditory information it requires.
Hearing Aids Are Expensive
A lot of people refuse to get a pair of hearing aids because they believe that they are just too expensive. And sadly, a good pair may cost anywhere from $900 to $6000 or more, depending on the brand and type. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get the hearing aid you need because of their price tag.
Modern hearing aids today are available at various price points. Most audiologists offer numerous financing options so that you can still get a pair of hearing aids. The payment is often broken down into smaller monthly installments over a certain period. With these plans, you’ll be able to pay off the device eventually.
Usually, insurance doesn’t cover the cost of hearing aids. However, this may vary. Some private insurance plans may include coverage for hearing evaluation and hearing aids.