Are you a candidate for over-the-counter hearing aids? In mid-August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule to improve access to lower-cost hearing aids for millions of Americans.
The FDA recently approved rules on how OTC hearing aids will be available to people with mild- to moderate-hearing loss. Within months, millions of Americans will be able to buy hearing aids without first seeing a doctor or a hearing professional. This should dramatically cut the cost of hearing aids, which typically cost several thousand dollars.
According to the new FDA rules, the devices will be permitted for people 18 and older with mild or moderate hearing loss. A person with mild hearing loss is someone who may have difficulty hearing some speech sounds but not others. Moderate hearing loss is when someone “may have increased difficulty hearing some speech sounds, even in a quiet room with someone talking at a normal level.”
About 14% of the estimated 48 million Americans with hearing loss use hearing aids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly half of us 60 and older have hearing loss, a condition that is a risk factor for dementia.
Find more information on OTC hearing aids from the Hearing Loss Association of America.
