Online hearing aids are devices that can be purchased over the internet.
Some sites allow you to take an online hearing test, whereas others require you to send in a copy of your hearing test.
They have recently become popular because they are less expensive than traditional hearing aids and are seen as the convenient option out of the two.
Our Hearing Aids vs. Online Hearing Aids
Hearing aids purchased from our office are customized for a comfortable fit and adjusted not only to your hearing test but also to your listening preferences.
Online hearing aids are set based on the basic hearing test they provide and are not adjusted to how you perceive the sound. They are also not customized for the size of your ear.
This means that you may expect to experience some discomfort with online hearing aids, and they may even fall out from time to time.
You Are Giving Up on The Expertise of a Professional
Whether you have seen them online or perhaps a friend has purchased them, there are a lot of factors you sacrifice when you purchase an online hearing aid.
While the device is much cheaper, you are giving up the expertise of the hearing professional. Part of the cost of hearing aids purchased in our office is for education, maintenance, troubleshooting, and programming.
We ensure that our patients get the most out of their hearing aids. Although some people get improvement with online hearing aids, are they getting maximum improvement?
We have had some patients buy multiple online devices and ended up spending more than they would have if they had just come to us from the beginning.
We have also had others buy some for a backup and they always comment that they can get by, but the listening experience is nothing compared to what they get with properly fine-tuned devices.
Who Would Benefit from Them?
While we don’t recommend online hearing aids for anyone, there is a place for online hearing aids on the market.
When people have a mild hearing loss and volume seems to be the issue, an online hearing aid can generally address this problem.
However, there are a lot of situations where online hearing aids are not recommended. First of all, not all hearing loss is the same.
There are certain decisions that must be made based on the hearing and the medical history. We have numerous options available.
More importantly, a perceived hearing loss may not be a hearing loss at all.
We have had many ecstatic patients walk out of our office relieved that they only had a wax problem or an issue that could be resolved medically. In our office, we help people choose a device based on their hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget.
Nothing Compares to a Hearing Test
Many people fall under the risk of purchasing online hearing aids without properly looking into what may be causing their hearing loss troubles.
Before we recommend any type of technology, we will always start with a comprehensive hearing assessment, which looks into all aspects of your hearing.
This allows us to expertly examine the degree of your hearing loss and recommend a device which is best suited to your needs.
Then, we can determine if medical intervention is required or if it may be time for hearing aids.
At our office, there is never any pressure to purchase anything. We feel it is our job to educate our patients and that education can include a demonstration of hearing aids.
The majority of people are pleasantly surprised when they hear what they didn’t even realize they were missing.
Have You Recently Purchased an Online Hearing Aid?
If you’ve purchased an online hearing aid recently, we can help with making sure it fits on your ear properly, educate you on the use and care of the device, and help with minor repairs.
Just simply get in touch with a member of our team at (432) 689-2220 and we will be happy to help.
