Hearing aids will be available over-the-counter for the first time in the United States starting next week, according to a University of Washington Medicine Oct. 12 press release.
Hearing aids will no longer require a prescription, after The Food and Drug Administration issued a ruling to allow hearing aids to be sold over-the-counter in Aug. 2022.
Having hearing aids available over-the-counter would provide help for those with mild hearing challenges that have not been treated, according to Cliff Hume, an otolaryngologist with UW Medicine.
“We know that hearing loss affects things like cognitive decline, ability to interact socially, performance at work, depression — things that impact your health on a daily basis. Not only yourself but also your family,” Hume stated in the press release.
Over-the-counter hearing aids are easily accessed without a doctor’s visit or prescription, but work the same way as prescribed hearing aids, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Hearing aids make sounds louder for those with hearing difficulties. Over-the-counter hearing aids are also regulated as medical devices by the FDA, being held to high medical standards to ensure safety for users, according to the NIDCD.
The NIDCD also warns that over-the-counter hearing aids should not be used by children or adults with severe hearing difficulties or hearing loss.
