Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter?
7 years, 11 months ago

Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter?

NPR  

Is It Time For Hearing Aids To Be Sold Over The Counter? "It's pretty much a hearing aid," says Liu, except the company isn't allowed to call it that. Sponsor Message The Hearing Loss Association of America, a consumer group, wants Congress to create a new category of aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss by passing the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017. This could be life-changing for people with hearing loss, says Richard Einhorn, a composer of modern classical music who is on the board of the Hearing Loss Association of America. If people buy their hearing aids directly over the counter, they'll miss out on all the skills audiologists can teach them, like how to lip read and how to distinguish high frequency sounds, he says.

Loss Sound Hearing Aid Lin Liu Ear Fda Sponsor Message Aids Hearing Aids Counter Einhorn  overthecounter  aids  counter  sold  liu  ear  loss  aid  sound  devices  hearing

History of this topic

This World Hearing Day, experts stress the need for equitable hearing care
2 weeks, 6 days ago

This World Hearing Day, experts stress the need for equitable hearing care

The Hindu  

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide may experience hearing loss, with over 700 million needing rehabilitation. Identifying the problem in children A survey conducted by the Madras ENT Research Foundation among schoolchildren in Chennai a few years ago, revealed that 5% of students had undiagnosed hearing loss, says Dr. Kameswaran. “Without timely treatment, …

Zepp Clarity Omni, One, Pixie Review: Lackluster Hearing Aids
1 month, 1 week ago

Zepp Clarity Omni, One, Pixie Review: Lackluster Hearing Aids

Wired  

At the start of the year, hearing aid brand Zepp Clarity announced a new program to try to encourage more of the millions of people with hearing loss to give hearing aids—and particularly Zepp Clarity’s aids—a spin. The hearing aid hardware isn’t changing after the try-on plan goes live, and Zepp Clarity will continue to sell the three hearing aid …

8 Things Audiologists Never, Ever Do
2 months, 1 week ago

8 Things Audiologists Never, Ever Do

Huff Post  

We Are via Getty Images Concerts, motorcycles, firearms and leaf blowers are just some examples of noise sources that require hearing protection. “As someone who sees the impact of hearing loss firsthand, I’d never take chances with my ears or anyone else’s.” To help people reduce risk, HuffPost asked Schumacher and other audiologists to share the things they never do …

When I suddenly lost my hearing, I had to confront the truth about hearing aids.
5 months ago

When I suddenly lost my hearing, I had to confront the truth about hearing aids.

Slate  

One morning this past March, I stirred from slumber convinced that someone had snuck in overnight and packed my ear with Jell-O. It would be five months before I’d be back home and able to access the follow-up treatment needed to get hearing aids. This time round my audiologist began with a game-changing explanation: “People think you can treat hearing …

Apple has a hot new product. It’s a hearing aid.
6 months, 1 week ago

Apple has a hot new product. It’s a hearing aid.

Live Mint  

When the world’s most valuable company held its latest glitzy event this week, Apple offered a peek at its highly anticipated AI tools and the next iPhone. As soon as it rolls out the software update this fall, Apple will instantly make the AirPods Pro 2 into a medical device, essentially turning every pair of the company’s top-selling headphones into …

Apple’s new AirPods are also hearing aids. Can they really save you thousands of dollars?
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Apple’s new AirPods are also hearing aids. Can they really save you thousands of dollars?

CNN  

CNN — During its glossy product announcement event on Tuesday, Apple unveiled a new role for its latest AirPods Pro model: medical device. “We’re adding this groundbreaking capability to help more than 1 billion people living with mild to moderate hearing loss,” said Sumbul Ahmad Desai, Apple’s vice president of health. Over-the-counter hearing aids, such as Apple’s offering, also are …

The Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
8 months, 3 weeks ago

The Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Wired  

In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids to supplement traditional prescription options, increasing accessibility and affordability for millions of Americans affected by untreated hearing loss. I wore each of them personally for an extended period to gauge sound quality, ease of use, and overall comfort, putting over 20 OTC hearing aids to …

Peter Schmeichel on overcoming the stigma of wearing hearing aids
9 months, 1 week ago

Peter Schmeichel on overcoming the stigma of wearing hearing aids

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “But it’s taken me two years to actually have …

The Best Hearing Aids of 2024, Reviewed by Experts
9 months, 2 weeks ago

The Best Hearing Aids of 2024, Reviewed by Experts

Wired  

How much money should you expect to spend on a hearing aid? Medicaid coverage in certain states also pays for hearing aids, provided the prescription brand accepts it. That said, supplemental plans may include hearing benefits: Medicare Advantage Part C plans and many private insurance plans offer some hearing support, but coverage varies widely, so check with your provider before …

Opinion: Most older Americans who need hearing aids don’t use them. Here’s how to change that
10 months ago

Opinion: Most older Americans who need hearing aids don’t use them. Here’s how to change that

LA Times  

Having depended on hearing aids for nearly three decades, I’m astounded by the lack of Medicare coverage for devices that can solve a problem afflicting tens of millions of older Americans. Because the legislation that created Medicare nearly 60 years ago specifically excluded hearing aids, those who rely on the program’s traditional coverage must pay for them out of pocket. …

How to Buy a Hearing Aid: Top Questions and Answers
11 months ago

How to Buy a Hearing Aid: Top Questions and Answers

Wired  

For decades, the only way to get a hearing aid was to visit a doctor and have one prescribed for you—probably in a strip mall office advertised on the marquee only with “HEARING AIDS” in block letters. Behind-the-ear hearing aids are styled like old-timey traditional aids, with a plastic case containing the electronics for the hearing aid which sits, well, …

Wearing hearing aids can slash risk of an early grave by a QUARTER, study suggests
1 year, 2 months ago

Wearing hearing aids can slash risk of an early grave by a QUARTER, study suggests

Daily Mail  

Hearing aids may help the hard of hearing live for longer, a study suggests. US researchers found that people with hearing loss were 24 per cent less likely to die early if they regularly wore the device, compared to those who never wore it. Dr Janet Choi, lead author and an ear, nose and throat surgeon at the University of …

New hope for reversing hearing loss as cell therapy nears first trial
1 year, 6 months ago

New hope for reversing hearing loss as cell therapy nears first trial

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A cell therapy to improve hearing could transform the lives of …

Hearing loss: Causes, impact on adults and children, treatments suggested by expert
1 year, 10 months ago

Hearing loss: Causes, impact on adults and children, treatments suggested by expert

Hindustan Times  

We are all plugged in all the time, pushing our senses to the limit, in an effort to survive in a demanding, stressful and ever-changing world as perhaps the most important of our sensory capabilities - listening helps orient us to the environment and serves as a means of communication between individuals. Hearing loss: Causes, impact on adults and children, …

Hearing aids may lower risk of dementia, Lancet study suggests
1 year, 11 months ago

Hearing aids may lower risk of dementia, Lancet study suggests

Daily Mail  

Wearing a hearing aid slashes the risk of dementia in people who are hard of hearing, a study suggests. Results showed those who did not use hearing aids had a 42 percent higher risk of developing dementia within 12 years compared to those who used the device. Lead study author, Professor Dongshan Zhu, from Shandong University, said: 'Our study provides …

FDA change ushers in cheaper, easier-to-get hearing aids
2 years, 3 months ago

FDA change ushers in cheaper, easier-to-get hearing aids

Associated Press  

It’s now a lot easier — and cheaper — for many hard-of-hearing Americans to get help. Here’s a closer look: WHO MIGHT BE HELPED The FDA approved OTC hearing aids for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. OTC hearing aids aren’t intended for people with deeper hearing loss, which may include those who have trouble hearing louder noises, like power tools …

Explained: Can earbuds be used as hearing aids?
2 years, 4 months ago

Explained: Can earbuds be used as hearing aids?

Firstpost  

Researchers in Taiwan have found that earbuds, specifically Apple AirPods, could potentially bridge the gap between persons with hearing difficulties and their first step to seeking hearing assistance. Since hearing loss also varies with audio frequency, the behaviour of the automatic volume controls has to change with frequency. A modern hearing aid performs multiple channels of automatic volume control but …

Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids: Disability Experts Weigh Benefits And Concerns
2 years, 5 months ago

Over-The-Counter Hearing Aids: Disability Experts Weigh Benefits And Concerns

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a ruling Monday that will make hearing aids available over the counter without a prescription or an appointment. “People that want to enhance their hearing, or get back to a level of hearing that they had, if they have mild or moderate hearing loss, that couldn’t afford it in the …

You can now get hearing aids without a prescription. Here’s how
2 years, 5 months ago

You can now get hearing aids without a prescription. Here’s how

LA Times  

The FDA has adopted a rule allowing hearing aids, such as the Jabra Enhance Plus, to be sold without a prescription. People with mild to moderate hearing loss can now obtain medical-grade hearing aids without a prescription or a specialist’s help, slashing the cost by hundreds or thousands of dollars. But people who’ve been told they need hearing aids typically …

What to know now that hearing aids are available over the counter
2 years, 5 months ago

What to know now that hearing aids are available over the counter

NPR  

What to know now that hearing aids are available over the counter Enlarge this image toggle caption Rick Bowmer/AP Rick Bowmer/AP Starting Monday, hearing aids will be available to buy over the counter across the U.S. People can still get hearing aids by seeing a doctor first, and experts say there are advantages to this option, such as being professionally …

The FDA says you can get hearing aids without a prescription. Here’s how
2 years, 7 months ago

The FDA says you can get hearing aids without a prescription. Here’s how

LA Times  

The FDA has adopted a rule allowing hearing aids, such as the Jabra Enhance Plus, to be sold without a prescription. But people who’ve been told they need hearing aids typically wait five to seven years to get them, said Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Assn. Oghalai said that if you don’t find yourself in many group …

Over-the-counter hearing aids expected this fall in US
2 years, 7 months ago

Over-the-counter hearing aids expected this fall in US

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans will be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription later this fall, under a long-awaited rule finalized Tuesday. The regulation creates a new class of hearing aids that don’t require a medical exam, a prescription and other specialty evaluations, the Food and Drug Administration said. “Today’s action by the FDA represents a significant milestone …

The Unintended Consequences of OTC Hearing Aids
2 years, 7 months ago

The Unintended Consequences of OTC Hearing Aids

Wired  

I have nearly 98 percent hearing loss in both ears. In 2017, Congress passed the FDA Reauthorization Act to create a category of OTC hearing aids for adults with perceived mild or moderate hearing loss. Once OTC hearing aids hit the market, they will offer consumers cheaper, accessible, and technologically sophisticated options for improving hearing. But despite these improvements, the …

US regulators lay out plan for over-the-counter hearing aids
3 years, 5 months ago

US regulators lay out plan for over-the-counter hearing aids

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Health regulators on Tuesday unveiled their proposal to allow Americans to buy hearing aids without a prescription, a long-awaited move intended to make the devices more accessible to millions of people with hearing problems. Consumer electronic companies for years have produced lower-cost “personal sound amplification” devices, but U.S. regulations bar them from being marketed as hearing aids and …

Experts call for better care of hearing impairment
6 years ago

Experts call for better care of hearing impairment

China Daily  

Xinhua Updated: 2019-03-07 Children learn about earcare in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on March 3, 2017. BEIJING -- Chinese experts have called for improved awareness of hearing impairment and increasing the use of hearing aids as the country has about 100 million people with hearing disabilities. Long Mo, deputy director of the China Rehabilitation Research Center for Hearing and …

This Hearing Aid Can Translate For You—and Track Steps Too
6 years, 6 months ago

This Hearing Aid Can Translate For You—and Track Steps Too

Wired  

It’s too loud for me to hear inside the Cupertino coffee bar, but Achin Bhowmik says it doesn’t bother him. While other high-end hearing aids have included similar technology in recent years, Starkey Hearing Technologies’ new Livio AI hearing aids also count your steps and track how much time you spend talking to people rather than in isolation. While some …

Listen Up To Smarter, Smaller Hearing Aids
11 years, 11 months ago

Listen Up To Smarter, Smaller Hearing Aids

NPR  

Listen Up To Smarter, Smaller Hearing Aids Enlarge this image toggle caption Kevin Rivoli/AP Kevin Rivoli/AP One day in the fall of 2010, composer Richard Einhorn woke up and realized there was something horribly wrong with his hearing. The history of digital hearing aids goes back to the 1980s, says Matthew Bakke, a scientist at Gallaudet University who also directs …

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