Hearing aids can now be sold without a prescription from a specialist. Over-the-counter, or OTC, hearing aids started hitting the market in October at prices that can be thousands of dollars lower than prescription hearing aids.
About 30 million people in the United States deal with hearing loss, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But only about 20% of those who could use a hearing aid seek help.
Here's a closer look:
WHO MIGHT BE HELPED
The FDA approved OTC hearing aids for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. That can include people who have trouble hearing phone calls or who turn up the TV volume loud enough that others complain.
It also can include people who have trouble understanding group conversations in noisy places.
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 and cars. They also aren't for people who lost their hearing suddenly or in just one ear, according to Sterling Sheffield, an audiologist who teaches at the University of Florida. Those people need to see a doctor.
HEARING TEST
Before over-the-counter, you usually needed to get your hearing tested and buy hearing aids from a specialist. That's no longer the case.
But it can be hard for people to gauge their own hearing. You can still opt to see a specialist just for that test, which is often covered by insurance, and then buy the aids on your own. Check your coverage before making an appointment.
This story is from the AppleMagazine #580 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the AppleMagazine #580 edition of AppleMagazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CHINA'S CATL FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH STELLANTIS TO BUILD ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY FACTORY IN SPAIN
Chinese electric battery company CATL and automaker Stellantis will build a major battery factory in northern Spain, the partners announced this week.
TIKTOK ASKS FEDERAL APPEALS COURT TO BAR ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL BAN UNTIL SUPREME COURT REVIEW
TikTok asked a federal appeals court on Monday to bar the Biden administration from enforcing a law that could lead to a ban on the popular platform until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge to the statute.
META SHAREHOLDERS SEEK SANCTIONS FOR SANDBERG, ZIENTS FOR DELETING CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA EMAILS
2018 shareholder lawsuit that alleged Facebook officers and directors violated both the law and their fiduciary duties in failing for years to protect the privacy of user data.
BOEING LAYS OFF HUNDREDS IN WASHINGTON AND CALIFORNIA AS PART OF CUTS ANNOUNCED PREVIOUSLY
Boeing has laid off hundreds of additional employees in Washington state and California as part of planned cuts that will eventually reduce the company’s workforce by about 17,000.
NASA PUSHES BACK ASTRONAUT FLIGHTS TO THE MOON AGAIN
NASA announced more delays in sending astronauts back to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo.
BILLIONAIRE WHO PERFORMED THE FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK IS TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD NASA
A tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead NASA.
FROM 'LOVE ACTUALLY' TO 'BLACK DOVES' WITH BEN WHISHAW, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY HAS YOUR CHRISTMAS COVERED
Keira Knightley starred in one of the most popular Christmas films of the 21st century, the 2003 romantic comedy “Love Actually.”
FORTNITE PLAYERS 'TRICKED' INTO UNWANTED PURCHASES ARE STARTING TO GET REFUNDS. HERE'S HOW TO APPLY
U.S. consumers who were “tricked” into purchases they didn’t want from Fortnite maker Epic Games are now starting to receive refund checks, the Federal Trade Commission said this week.
CHINA'S BAN ON KEY HIGH-TECH MATERIALS COULD HAVE BROAD IMPACT ON INDUSTRIES ECONOMY
China has banned exports of key materials used to make a wide range of products, including smartphones, electric vehicles, radar systems and CT scanners, swiping back at Washington after it expanded export controls to include dozens of Chinese companies that make equipment used to produce advanced computer chips.
'MOANA 2' CRUISES TO ANOTHER RECORD WEEKEND AND $600 MILLION GLOBALLY
The Walt Disney Co.’s animated film “Moana 2” remained at the top of the box office in its second weekend in theaters as it brought in another record haul.
