Wayne's World

Until recently, hearing aids supposedly weren’t able to be purchased over-the-counter (OTC). Instead, consumers had to have a professional evaluate their hearing loss, set the hearing aid’s performance, and teach proper use.  However, recent OTC sales of hearing aid legislation has opened the door to focus on OTC self-fitting of hearing aids.   Why is Self-Fitting of Hearing Aids an

Self-fitting of hearing devices is an inherent feature of OTC or DTC (over-the-counter; direct-to-consumer) hearing aids.  What can we expect now that this is becoming an active feature of hearing aid sales? The real issue, as expressed by Bess1, is not how an OTC or DTC hearing aid delivery system benefits hearing aid manufacturers and hearing professionals, but will this

This post discussion is a continuation of previous posts related to comments that many hearing professionals have expressed with concerns that OTC/PSAP hearing aid sales will result in dissatisfied users because: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing

This post continues the comments by many hearing professionals expressing concerns that OTC hearing aid sales will result in dissatisfied users because: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously/also defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage

Many hearing professionals have expressed concerns that poor OTC hearing aid quality will result in dissatisfied users, for the following reasons: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage them from

Many hearing professionals have expressed concerns that OTC hearing aid sales will result in dissatisfied users because: The instruments are not professionally fitted An audiogram is necessary OTC-sold devices (previously defined as PSAPs) are of poor quality and will not meet the needs of the hearing impaired, and Poor experiences by the purchaser will discourage them from seeking additional assistance

Both PCAST (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) and NAS (National Academies of Sciences) have recommended that OTC hearing aid (over-the-counter) sales be permitted for mild-to-moderate hearing losses. Additionally, the SB 9 Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2016 introduced by Senators Warren and Grassley Senate Bill further requires that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) remove the “normal

Accommodating the OTC Hearing Aid Discussion: Hearing Screening in the Absence of Audiometry – Part 2   by Wayne M. Garrison* and Joseph H. Bochner** This is the second of a two-part series on an evaluated option to hearing level identification to fit OTC hearing aids in the absence of audiometry.  Part 1 introduced an online hearing level identification test,

by Wayne M. Garrison* and Joseph H. Bochner** Editor Note:  With legalized OTC (over-the-counter) hearing aids sales expected as a hearing-impaired consumer option, a previous post asked if it was possible to predict hearing level without an audiogram?  This question was raised because essentially every argument against OTC hearing aid sales states that an audiogram is necessary, but is that

It is interesting that although many products have been designed to be worn in the ear, there is little information specifically about the ear concha dimensions of the outer ear, the most likely location for placement and retention.  This would seem to be of much more significance than many other ear measurements that have been made, especially for those who