Over-the-counter hearing aids now available

Low cost, over-the-counter hearing aids are now available without a prescription or medical exam.

The White House says this could potentially save some Americans thousands of dollars every year.
The FDA approved the sale of over the counter hearing aids in August for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. However, experts say you should still get a medical opinion first.

“You are completely by yourself. So you have nobody to program them, nobody to fit them to make sure it’s fitting properly in your ears. No one to look in your ears to see if there is anything going on in the outer part of our ears,” said Renee Wyman, a hearing instrument specialist.

About one in eight people in the United States have hearing loss in both ears. That rate also increases significantly with age.