{"id":629607,"date":"2023-04-15T09:49:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T14:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/15\/are-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-just-as-good-heres-what-to-know-cnet\/"},"modified":"2023-04-15T09:49:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T14:49:22","slug":"are-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-just-as-good-heres-what-to-know-cnet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/15\/are-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-just-as-good-heres-what-to-know-cnet\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Just as Good? Here&#8217;s What to Know     &#8211; CNET"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/neutron\/images\/logos\/cnet-short.png\" alt=\"CNET logo\"> <span>Why You Can Trust CNET<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Our wellness advice is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/health\/how-we-fact-check-and-validate-medical-information\/\" rel=\"noopener\">expert-vetted<\/a>. Our top picks are based on our editors\u2019 independent research, analysis, and hands-on testing. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission.<\/span> <span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/home\/how-we-test-everything\/\">Reviews ethics statement<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n    A pair of hearing aids that you can pick up at the store may be a new concept, but a new study suggests you may fit yourself for one just as well as the professionals.\n  <\/p>\n<div>\n<div><picture> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/537d492105e92e8d9bca4a6e623871594ab6fed7\/hub\/2023\/02\/24\/30d2d5c6-a929-487a-bd2b-4096350660d0\/screenshot-3-headshot.jpg?auto=webp&#038;fit=crop&#038;height=96&#038;width=96\" alt=\"screenshot-3-headshot\" height=\"96\" width=\"96\"> <\/picture><\/div>\n<div section=\"authorCard\" id=\"author-card-0\">\n<div>\n<div section=\"author_headshot\"><picture> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/43e8dc9bcb494dbe29e95fb75ceed7bd7e3b1b82\/hub\/2023\/02\/24\/30d2d5c6-a929-487a-bd2b-4096350660d0\/screenshot-3-headshot.jpg?auto=webp&#038;fit=crop&#038;height=84&#038;width=84\" alt=\"screenshot-3-headshot\" height=\"84\" width=\"84\"> <\/picture><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Jessica Rendall<\/span> <span>Wellness Writer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Jessica is a writer on the Wellness team with a focus on health news. Before CNET, she worked in local journalism covering public health issues, business and music.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span>Expertise<\/span> <span>Medical news, pregnancy topics and health hacks that don&#8217;t cost money<\/span> <span>Credentials<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Added coconut oil to cheap coffee before keto made it cool.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article-77fc99f7-106f-4f7a-b2d1-c640e809ce0a\">\n<div>\n<p>With a bookshelf full of <span section=\"shortcodeLink\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnet.com\/tech\/mobile\/fitness-trackers-are-getting-more-personal-powerful-in-2022-and-beyond\/\" rel=\"follow\"><span>health-tracking devices<\/span><\/a><\/span> that can give us data about our heart rate, sleep cycle and more, it only makes sense that one of the original wearable health devices, the hearing aid, would get a makeover. Last October, the US Food and Drug Administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/health\/medical\/new-fda-rule-in-effect-what-to-know-about-over-the-counter-hearing-aids\/\" rel=\"follow\">loosened rules for how hearing aids may be sold<\/a>, making them available at stores and pharmacies across the US without the need for a prescription or professional fitting by a hearing health professional.<\/p>\n<p>Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/health\/medical\/are-you-a-good-candidate-for-otc-hearing-aids\/\" rel=\"follow\">meant for adults with mild or moderate hearing loss<\/a> &#8212; children, people with severe hearing loss or reason to believe another health condition is affecting their hearing still need to be seen by a health care professional to find the best fit. And before anyone starts their hunt for an OTC hearing aid, there are special considerations you should make and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/health\/medical\/what-to-know-before-purchasing-over-the-counter-hearing-aids\/\" rel=\"follow\">things to know before you buy a pair of hearing aids<\/a> at the store.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re in a position where you&#8217;re considering a hearing aid (maybe you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nidcd.nih.gov\/health\/over-counter-hearing-aids\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hard time hearing people talk in a noisy room<\/a> or you&#8217;re blasting your TV volume) you may be wondering on how they&#8217;ll stack up against the original. While buying OTC could potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/08\/16\/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-fda-hearing-aids-final-rule\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">save you a few thousand dollars<\/a>, prescription hearing aids may come equipped with perks like Bluetooth streaming, as Soundly, a hearing aid comparison website,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.soundly.com\/blog\/over-the-counter-hearing-aids\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">points out<\/a>. (You need a professional fitting to get the newest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accesswire.com\/747215\/Phonak-SlimTM-Lumity-Hearing-Aid-Redefines-Performance-and-Style-to-Boost-User-Confidence\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Phonak hearing aid<\/a>, for example.) Add in the fact that OTC devices only hit the shelves six months ago, and it makes a head-to-head comparison difficult.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Still, there is promising research coming out about the effectiveness of OTC hearing aids. Here&#8217;s what we know now.<\/p>\n<h2>How OTC hearing aids compare to professionally fitted devices\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>OTC hearing aids are a pretty new idea &#8212; they&#8217;ve been on the market for about six months. So research comparing hearing aids fitted by an audiologist to a self-fitted device you picked up at Best Buy will need time to build.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A study published Thursday in the JAMA Otolaryngology-Head &#038; Neck Surgery was the <a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamaotolaryngology\/fullarticle\/10.1001\/jamaoto.2023.0376?guestAccessKey=b006b4aa-bca8-47f2-b7e0-9dfb98dfa309&#038;utm_source=For_The_Media&#038;utm_medium=referral&#038;utm_campaign=ftm_links&#038;utm_content=tfl&#038;utm_term=041323\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">first of its kind to compare OTC hearing aids<\/a>\u00a0to prescription hearing aids. In a randomized clinical trial, data was collected from 64 adults who were assigned either a self-fitted hearing aid (the <a href=\"https:\/\/lexiehearing.com\/us\/lexie-lumen-hearing-aid?utm_source=google&#038;utm_campaign=18012649632&#038;utm_medium=cpc&#038;utm_content=645995277072&#038;utm_term=lexie%20lumen%20hearing%20aid&#038;gclid=CjwKCAjwrdmhBhBBEiwA4Hx5g7XRd3yrvP8aTFkOS20GMnr-ah3qgXYBdv6YDnmzWj9Euhu1J2Xe3xoCqC8QAvD_BwE\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lexie Lumen<\/a>), and the necessary steps to set it up at home, or the same device by Lexie Hearing but fitted by an audiologist. At the end of six weeks, there were no differences in the effectiveness of the hearing aid between the two groups, suggesting that many adults will be able to get the same benefit from common hearing aids like the Lexie Lumen regardless of whether they fit it themselves or have it done professionally at the clinic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The biggest caveat to this study was that it compared the same hearing aid. Prescription hearings aids are different devices than OTC hearing aids, though the latter may begin to catch up as the market changes and companies start trying to out-competing each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Are OTC and prescription hearing aids regulated differently?\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Both types of hearing aids are medical devices regulated by the FDA. This means that OTC hearing aids you can buy at the store are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/hearing-aids-and-personal-sound-amplification-products-what-know\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">different than personal sound amplification products<\/a>\u00a0you can also get over-the-counter (people may use PSAPs for hunting, for example).<\/p>\n<p>Many people wait several years after they first notice signs of hearing loss to get a hearing aid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncoa.org\/adviser\/hearing-aids\/over-the-counter-hearing-aids\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">due to cost barriers<\/a>, the belief a hearing aid won&#8217;t be worth it and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyhearing.com\/report\/52576-Seniors-worried-about-the-stigma-of-hearing-aids#:~:text='Too%20embarrassed%20to%20wear'%20hearing%20aids&#038;text=When%20asked%20why%20they%20don,people%20make%20fun%20of%20you.%22\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stigma around wearing it.<\/a> Time will tell how OTC hearing aids truly shape up, but their accessibility and often-sleek design will hopefully get them in the hands of people who need them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n  The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/health\/medical\/are-over-the-counter-hearing-aids-just-as-good-heres-what-to-know\/#ftag=CAD590a51e\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Jessica Rendall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why You Can Trust CNET Our wellness advice is expert-vetted. Our top picks are based on our editors\u2019 independent research, analysis, and hands-on testing. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement A pair of hearing aids that you can pick up at the store may be a new<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":629608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1951,40336,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-629607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hearing","category-over-the-counter","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}