Even if you have glasses (the kind you put on your face, not the kind you drink out of), you still see your eye doctor yearly, right? Because your eyes change over time. Nothing in your body is static, not your eyes and not, as it happens, your ears either. That’s why, much like your eyes, it’s crucial to keep having your ears assessed even after you’ve purchased a quality pair of hearing aids.
Many individuals, unfortunately, neglect those yearly appointments. Perhaps a visit to their doctor is taking a back seat to enjoying life. Or, it might be that your job has been stressful lately. Or perhaps, you’ve just been so happy with your hearing aids that you haven’t felt the need to go back in. That’s a good thing, right?
Getting your hearing examined
Let’s use Daphne as our imaginary stand-in. Daphne has been noticing some red flags related to her hearing for a while now. Her TV volume is getting louder and louder. When she goes out after work to a noisy restaurant, she has trouble following discussions. And because she likes to take care of herself, and she’s intelligent, she schedules a hearing exam.
After having her hearing examined, Daphne does everything she is supposed to: she gets fitted for new hearing aids and has them properly calibrated, and then goes back to her regular routine.
Issue solved? Well, maybe not completely. Going in for an exam allowed her to catch her hearing loss early and that’s excellent. But for most individuals with hearing impairment, even a minor one, follow-up care becomes almost more significant in the long run. Daphne would be doing herself a favor by maintaining regular appointments. But Daphne’s not alone in avoiding check-ups, based on one study, just 33% of senior citizens using hearing aids also maintained routine hearing services.
Why do you need hearing exams once you get hearing aids?
Alright, remember our glasses metaphor? Daphne’s hearing won’t become fixed and stop changing just because she has hearing aids. It’s essential to fine-tune the hearing aids to counter those changes. Any hearing changes can be discovered early with regular monitoring.
And that isn’t even the only reason why it might be a good idea to keep regular appointments after you have your hearing aids. Here are some of the most important reasons:
- Hearing aid calibration: Your hearing changes in small ways, and while your general hearing may remain stable, these slight changes could require you to get regular hearing assessments. Your hearing aid may become less and less effective if you skip this calibration.
- Hearing degeneration: Even with a hearing aid, your hearing could continue to deteriorate. If this deterioration is slow enough, you most likely won’t recognize it’s happening without the assistance of a hearing test. Hearing decline can frequently be slowed by appropriately adjusting your hearing aids.
- Your fit may change: It’s possible that there will be a shift in how your hearing aids fit as your ears are always changing. Routine check-ups can help ensure that your hearing aids keep fitting the way they’re designed to.
Hazards and hurdles
The ultimate concern here is that sooner or later, the hearing aids Daphne is wearing will stop working the way they’re meant to, so she’ll get frustrated with them and stop wearing them altogether. Over time, hearing loss can be slowed by wearing hearing aids. Your hearing will decline faster if you stop using your hearing aids and you most likely won’t even detect it.
When it comes to attaining optimal performance of your hearing aids, and optimal hearing, regular hearing assessments are essential. Safeguard your hearing and make sure your hearing aids are properly working by having regular screenings.