Improvements to hearing aid tech, access has led to better and cheaper options

Tens of millions of Americans suffer from hearing loss. Fewer than one-third of them seek treatment.

Untreated hearing loss can take a toll on the mental health of those hard of hearing, according to Rachel Lee, a University of Wisconsin-Madison clinical associate professor and audiologist.

“Hearing loss is associated with a lot of things, such as social isolation, which can lead to depression and anxiety. It can also affect cognitive ability,” Lee said recently on WPR’s “The Larry Meiller Show.”

“There are a lot of consequences other than not being able to communicate when your hearing loss is untreated,” said Lee, who also serves as audiology ambassador for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association for Wisconsin.

The good news, Lee said, is that advancements in hearing aid technology and availability from retailers without a prescription has increased access to better and cheaper solutions.

The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Larry Meiller: How many people suffer from hearing loss?

Rachel Lee: Of American adults ages 19 and older, there are about 37.5 million who suffer with hearing loss. Only about 16 percent in the 19-69 age range do something about it. And among those over 70, only about 30 percent seek help for their hearing loss.

LM: Why do they avoid getting the hearing aids?

RL: It might be due to the stigma. … They think that hearing loss is associated with being older, and they don’t want to appear older. And other people think of hearing loss as a consequence of getting older, and they just put up with it.

LM: This past November, Apple released the AirPod Pro 2 that, when paired with the latest iPhones, can be used as hearing aids. How significant is this technology for people with hearing loss?

RL: To me, what’s most significant is that it addresses an access issue. They’re not very expensive compared to traditional amplification and hearing technology. So I think it’s wonderful that more people can try over-the-counter devices like this for their hearing loss. … For some folks, the technology in the AirPods can help.

Of course, you need to have an iPhone, which in and of itself can be a barrier for some people. But they work just like other wireless headphones that connect to the iPhone.

You have the ability, within an app on your iPhone or within your settings, to adjust how much you’re hearing the ambient noise in the room.

Editor’s note: The hearing aid feature for Apple’s AriPods Pro 2 requires a free software update on iOS 18-compatable iPhones and iPads.

LM: Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration started allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter. Has this resulted in cheaper and easier to get hearing aids?

RL: It remains to be seen. It certainly has been a shift in the industry. I think that having more options opens the door for a lot of folks to think about their hearing health.

For me and many audiologists, the most important time to think seriously about hearing aids is when you notice hearing loss is affecting the quality of your life.

LM: How do you get your hearing tested? Is there a standard test that needs to be administered by an audiologist, or could it be done by a service online?

RL: I’m biased, of course, but I do think that a full comprehensive evaluation with an audiologist is a good first step, whether or not you’re going to continue seeing them for amplification. There’s a lot of value in doing that.

Over-the-counter devices are self fitted. That means you take some sort of hearing test either online or with the devices themselves. I only have anecdotal evidence that those tests are pretty comparable to a hearing evaluation with an audiologist. The one caveat, of course, being that self tests are not done in a sound treated booth, so it may actually show that your hearing is worse than it actually is because of ambient noise in your environment affecting your results.

A lot of people who have hearing loss also suffer from tinnitus, and I think that hearing aids or amplification is always a good first step. We don’t know the exact cause of tinnitus, but the theory is that the brain is not receiving a signal from the ear like it once was because of hearing loss, so there’s this sort of phantom signal that comes in.

The thinking behind amplification is that if you restore that strong connection between the ear and the brain, it reduces the tinnitus. So a lot of folks do really well with hearing aids when they have tinnitus. If it’s more bothersome and it affects your ability to concentrate, fall asleep or read a book, then talk with a healthcare professional about it.

There are additional steps you can take. It’s not my area of expertise, but there are other strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and other things that will adjust the way that you think about your tinnitus, and you can get some relief that way. So I would recommend working with somebody who is trained in treating people with tinnitus.