Why Hearing Aid Fittings are Important

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Many feel sensitive about their hearing loss and may attempt to purchase a hearing aid online and hope for the best. However, there’s absolutely no substitute for having a hearing aid properly selected and fitted for you by a trained audiologist.

A fitting is just a part of the overall process.

By the time you reach the point where you’ve selected a hearing aid and are ready to have it fitted, your audiologist will be familiar with your specific type of hearing loss, the most probable cause and the specific frequencies to which your hearing needs to be amplified. Upon fitting your hearing aid, they will also guide you through living with it, taking care of it and what to expect when you use it.

Buying direct can create more problems than it solves.

Direct-to-consumer hearing aids are developed with a one-size-fits-all approach to hearing loss. But hearing loss is a very personal thing, and everyone’s hearing loss is slightly different. As such, many spend a fortune on direct-to-consumer hearing aids that are fit poorly and typically wind up unused in a box somewhere.

Your hearing loss may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Getting to the bottom of the cause of your hearing loss is the key to treating it. By carrying out a range of detailed examinations on your ears, your audiologist is able to determine the underlying cause of your issues, which may be just the tip of the iceberg. In some cases, hearing loss is the symptom of a greater medical issue that needs to be treated; other times, hearing loss simply needs to be treated on its own.

Before fitting your hearing aid, your audiologist will also carry out a series of tests of the ear canal and Eustachian tube to check for any underlying medical conditions.

As you can see, while purchasing a hearing aid directly is an option, it’s far more important to seek a trained audiologist for a professional fitting.

Dr. Sarah Hickey, Au. D., is an audiologist and owner of Audiology Associates.