If you’ve been recently diagnosed with hearing loss, you may be overwhelmed by the treatment options available. While your audiologist likely recommended a set of hearing aids, you may have heard from a friend that hearing amplifiers work just as well. Below we review the differences between hearing amplifiers and hearing aids and discuss which may be a better option for you.
Hearing Amplifiers
Another name for hearing amplifiers is personal sound amplification devices or PSAPs. Hearing amplifiers can be purchased at any big box or electronics store. They do not require a prescription because they are not regulated by the FDA.
Many people are attracted to hearing amplifiers because the price tag is often significantly lower. However, they don’t work like hearing aids because they aren’t designed to correct hearing loss. They amplify all sounds evenly, so even if you only have trouble with high-frequency sounds, as most people with hearing loss do, all sounds, including low-frequency sounds that you can hear just fine, will be amplified. This often results in sounds being too loud or even painful.
This doesn’t mean hearing amplifiers aren’t useful. They are often used by hunters and bird watchers to amplify faraway or very soft sounds in an otherwise quiet environment.
Hearing Aids
Hearing aids are considered class 1 medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration, and therefore require an audiological evaluation and a prescription from a licensed audiologist.
While hearing aids are more expensive than hearing amplifiers, this is because they are state-of-the-art medical devices that can be customized to the exact specification of your hearing loss. This means they can amplify sounds that are different frequencies to different volumes based on what exactly you have trouble hearing, so you can get back to hearing the birds chirp at Ben Burton Park.
Hearing aids also have incredible features like rechargeability, Bluetooth connectivity, tinnitus masking, digital noise reduction, automatic programming, wind noise reduction and artificial intelligence.
Choosing the Right Device for You
In order to make the best decision for your hearing health, discuss whether you should invest in hearing aids or hearing amplifiers with your audiologist. They can discuss the pros and cons of each type of device with you.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with an expert audiologist, call ENT of Athens today.