If you are an even somewhat internet saavy and are investigating hearing aids you have undoubtedly noticed the many web sites that are offering them online.
The problem is some of the prices are very cheap.
Others offer a better price than you will get going directly to a hearing professionals office.
What is the difference? The first big difference between online hearing aid sites is that many of them only sell directly to you.
There are two types of these sites: those that sell quality hearing instruments and those that sell cheap, "one-size-fits-all" aids.
The sites that sell quality instruments inexpensively are able to do so because they do not offer professional services along with the hearing aids.
They often tell patients that they can program them to their audiogram and just ship them to them.
There are many problems with this scenario.
First, they have not ever seen you.
How can they be sure that what they are prescribing will fit you properly, that you will be able to use them properly, or you don't have wax in your ear?There is no way they can teach you how to use the hearing aids by demonstration, and actually watching you do it, how to properly insert your hearing aids, use the controls, or even clean them.
Probably the most important thing is they cannot verify the instruments are actually correcting your hearing loss.
This what professionals will do for you.
A professional will program the aid while you wear it and perform verification of their performance.
If they need to be fined tuned you can simply go to their office and they can take care of it while you wait.
If you purchase from a web site, you will have to ship it back to them and wait for up to 2 weeks to get it back!If there is a problem with them, or you are having difficulty, a hearing professional will be readily available to help you.
Often, patients that purchase directly end up frustrated and either put them away in a drawer or pay a professional to help them.
In the end, they have spent the same amount of money and wasted a tremendous amount of time.
The web sites that sell cheap hearing aids are even worse in my opinion.
These are "one-size-fits-all" type products.
What size they were designed to fit I have no idea!They are usually ugly and uncomfortable.
These provide very little benefit and most people I have talked to actually end up throwing them away and buying quality ones.
Many people come to the false conclusion that hearing aids cannot help and never receive the real benefits that they can give them.
I have one patient that wasted almost $3000 over 4 years on these cheap aids before he finally bought some quality hearing aids.
His custom aids cost him about the same, but they actually help him hear better and he has now owned them for 6 years.
The other type of web site you will find will refer you to a professional in your area.
The professional will test you and help you with the selection of your hearing aids.
They will put into consideration not only your hearing loss, but cosmetic concerns, budget, and lifestyle considerations.
Then, when they arrive from the manufacturer, the professional will have you come in for a fitting session.
They will make sure that your new hearing aids are properly programmed to your loss, that the settings are comfortable and that you can actually hear better.
The professional will make sure that they are physically fitting your ear and thatthey look as good as possible.
They will schedule you for follow-up appointments where, based on what you tell them, they will make changes to the programming of your aids.
This is essential because everyone hears sound differently, and what sounds good to one person doesn't always sound good to another.
If the first hearing aids you try are not working well for you, they will return them and let you try different instruments without penalty.
They will continue to see you and fine tune your hearing aids until your doing well.
Then they will provide ongoing service to your hearing instruments to make sure they stay in good working order.
There is always someone out there trying to come up with a new way of doing business.
When they offer a genuine service or product that provides a real benefit that's good.
But when they short-change you either with low quality products or improper care, well obviously, that is just plain wrong!Hearing aids require the services of a professional.
That is why most states actually regulate the sale of hearing aids and require licensure to fit them.
Make sure that when you decide to get help for your hearing you use a licensed professional.
There is nothing wrong with buying a hearing aid through the internet.
Just make sure you only use a company that insists on your working with a professional.