BOSTON, MASSACHUSSETTS – A year after the introduction of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for Americans with mild to moderate hearing loss, a significant knowledge gap persists regarding the potential health consequences of untreated hearing loss, according to a new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Lexie Hearing.
The survey, which was released today, involved more than 1,000 adults aged 50 and older in the United States and was conducted nearly a year after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made OTC hearing aids available.
Despite 64% of respondents reporting hearing difficulties, the survey revealed that only 14% have experimented with hearing aids, and nearly 25% have never undergone a formal hearing test.
Of particular concern is the fact that a quarter of those aged 50 and over do not recognize the potential impact of hearing loss on their overall health. Individuals experiencing hearing difficulties reported a range of adverse effects, including:
- 55% say it negatively affects their ability to enjoy entertainment;
- 42% say it negatively affects their social life;
- 40% say it negatively affects their personal relationships;
- 32% say that it negatively affects their mental health; and
- 31% say it negatively affects their ability to conduct day-to-day activities.
Just under half of those who have experienced hearing difficulty (46%) say that other people don’t understand how much hearing loss has impacted their lives.
De Wet Swanepoel, Professor of Audiology and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Audiology, emphasized, “Education continues to be a major barrier in improving widespread hearing health, with an average of seven years elapsing between first experiencing hearing loss and purchasing a hearing aid.”
Lack of Awareness about Hearing Health
Despite increasing efforts by advocates to raise awareness about hearing health, 25% of Americans aged 50 and over still do not acknowledge the potential health implications of hearing loss, and only 38% express concern about hearing loss as they age.
Instead, respondents indicated they are more concerned with other signs of aging, including eyesight decline (59%), the diagnosis of serious health conditions (53%), cognitive health decline (48%), loss of balance (i.e., falling) (48%), and weight gain (40%).
Last year’s introduction of OTC hearing aids provided a valuable opportunity for the 44 million Americans living with untreated hearing loss to gain increased access to FDA-cleared hearing aids. However, many people continue to rely on medical professionals to initiate discussions about hearing issues.
The study found that 27% of people who report having difficulty hearing have refrained from getting a hearing aid because their doctor hasn’t told them they need them, even though hearing aids no longer require a prescription.
“Until last year, people had to go through a hearing health provider for hearing care,” said Nic Klopper, CEO of Lexie Hearing. “But now, innovation in hearing aids puts the control in the hands of all Americans who experience mild to moderate hearing loss. Today, people can walk into one of 14,000 stores nationwide and for under a $1,000 get back to better hearing the same day.”
Despite increased accessibility and affordability of hearing aids, misperceptions about costs, effectiveness, and availability persist among consumers. For example:
- 28% of U.S. adults 50+ say they are not planning to purchase OTC hearing aids because they don’t trust the quality despite a growing body of clinical evidence to the contrary.
- More than half (51%) falsely believe or are not sure if a prescription is required to purchase hearing aids, even though OTC hearing aids have been available at retail and pharmacy stores across the U.S. for a full year.
- Among those diagnosed with hearing loss, 33% say they don’t have hearing aids because they are too expensive, perhaps not realizing that FDA-cleared OTC hearing aids are less than a quarter the cost of prescription devices. And increasingly, health plans, including Medicare Advantage, are adding hearing aid coverage benefits.
Survey Methodology:
The research was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Lexie Hearing among 1,012 U.S. adults aged 50+. The survey was conducted from September 19-25, 2023.
Data are weighted where necessary by age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income and propensity to be online to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.2 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.
For additional information about Lexie Hearing or to access a free hearing test, please visit www.lexiehearing.com.
About Lexie Hearing
Lexie Hearing, a market-leading innovator in the U.S. hearing aid market, is on a mission to make better hearing affordable and accessible to everyone. The team at Lexie is passionately committed to helping people enjoy healthy hearing without having to spend thousands of dollars, recognizing that too many people do not wear hearing aids because they are so expensive. That’s why Lexie Hearing has changed the industry. They’re bringing a great experience and clinically-proven outcomes to customers with high-quality hearing aids, an award-winning customer care program that proves that people with hearing loss are at the heart of everything they do, and smart technology that gives customers control of their hearing experience.
Lexie was developed by hearX Group, an impact-driven company that has provided over 2.4 million hearing tests in 191 countries globally. hearX takes pride in providing an entirely new way to overcome traditional barriers to the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss.
Source: Lexie Hearing
