With so many hearing aid options and devices now available, it’s hard to imagine that anyone who has hearing difficulties has not yet found help. However, that would assume that you know you have hearing problems, have the money to purchase hearing aids, and/or are desirous to do something about it. Apparently, those are big assumptions. A recent survey (out of the UK) shows that 2 out of 3 adults have never even had a hearing test, although just as many admit they experience signs that they may have trouble hearing. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends that all adults get a hearing loss test every decade until age 50, at which point they recommend a hearing checkup every 3 years. So it seems there’s a large swath of us who are not following expert recommendations either by not paying attention to our hearing or not following up when we know there may be a problem. That same survey found that 36% of respondents said they would pretend their hearing is normal even if they were experiencing problems.

Clearly, there’s still a stigma attached to hearing loss and hearing aids, even though their use can improve your quality of life and is associated with a reduction of your risk of a dementia diagnosis. In fact, a new study published in The Lancet Public Health found that hearing loss may be linked to approximately 8% of worldwide dementia cases, and evidence is building that hearing loss may be one of the most modifiable causes of dementia. In this particular study, in comparison to people with no loss of hearing, those who have hearing loss but do not use hearing aids had a 42% greater risk of dementia. As one of the authors of the study made clear, “The evidence is compelling that treating hearing loss is a promising way of reducing dementia risk.” For more on this study, read here.

Therefore, given the clear value of hearing aids for those with hearing loss, what’s gone on with the introduction of over-the-counter hearing aids in the United States? Axios reports that hearing aids have become more “hip” as well as cost-effective among certain populations as they have gained in popularity with the introduction of over-the-counter brands. And there’s even some research published in JAMA to back this up. The market for hearing aids has greatly expanded beyond the few private companies that held the monopoly of products in the prescription hearing aid world, with such big corporations as Bose and SONY introducing popular and well-reviewed models available over the counter. There are companies marketing over-the-counter models that are poorly reviewed (take a look at some of them here) but overall there have been a slew of new models that seem to be able to bring quality-level hearing help to the masses. Cost continues to remain an issue for many, as over-the-counter models still seem to cost in the range of $500-$1000/pair, even sometimes reaching up to $2000/pair, though still less than the average prescription model. For some up-to-date recommendations of models currently available over-the-counter, take a look here (where there is a good comparison chart) and here. And for a good up-to-date overview of how to consider your need for an OTC hearing aid, and how to evaluate the options, take a look here. 

Still not convinced you should take a chance on getting your hearing evaluated and exploring the aids available to help? You may first need to be convinced that a hearing test is in order or consider how many times you request people to repeat themselves (which is likely caused by more than other people mumbling). Take the challenge to find out if you need a hearing test here. While you may decide you’ll just wait until new scientific advances negate the need for hearing aids (and there are some promising research studies underway addressing the possibility of regenerating inner ear hair cells, whose damage may account for up to 90 % of hearing loss) the reality of living with hearing loss can be difficult and distressing, and if left unaddressed, can cause real quality of life deterioration. For some individual examples of the challenge of living with hearing loss, take a look here and here.