In this day and age, you can purchase just about anything online and expect it to show up on your doorstep two days later. But as much as you may want to place an order for a hearing aid at b8ta, that’s not how it works. Hearing loss is a medical condition that requires treatment from a medical professional known as an audiologist.
Below we review everything you need to know before buying a hearing aid.
First, You Need a Hearing Test
You may think you can take a hearing test online, too, but a real, legitimate hearing test is conducted in an audiologist’s office. That’s not to say online hearing tests aren’t useful – they can help you detect whether a hearing loss is present – but they cannot provide the same information a hearing test conducted by an audiologist can.
Types of hearing tests an audiologist may conduct include:
- Pure tone audiometry
- Bone conduction testing
- Speech-in-noise testing
- Acoustic reflex testing
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR)
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)
These hearing tests reveal exactly how loud sounds have to be in order for you to hear them across all speech frequencies. The results of these tests are then plotted on an audiogram, which is a visual representation of your hearing loss.
Next, Your Audiologist Will Help You Pick a Hearing Aid
When helping you pick a style of hearing aid, your audiologist will take into account your type and degree of hearing loss, the anatomy of your ear, your lifestyle needs and your budget. Popular styles include:
- Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids
- Receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids
- Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) hearing aids
- In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids
- In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids
- Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids
- Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids
- Open-fit hearing aids
They’ll also talk to you about what features you’d like your hearing aid to have. Popular features in today’s devices include:
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Smartphone compatibility
- Background noise filtering
- Automatic programming
- Machine learning
- And more!
Finally, You’ll Discuss Financing Options
Some insurance carriers cover the cost of hearing aids; unfortunately, many do not. Your audiologist can discuss a leasing programming or financing options to make hearing aids affordable for you.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call San Francisco Audiology today.