Who can use this OTC hearing aid?

This OTC hearing aid is only for people age 18 or older with signs of mild to moderate hearing loss.

How do you know if you have this?

• You have trouble hearing speech in noisy places
• You find it hard to follow speech in groups
• You have trouble hearing on the phone
• Listening makes you tired
• You need to turn up the volume on the TV or radio, and other people complain it’s too loud

Some people with hearing loss may need help from a hearing healthcare professional to determine what will work for them.

How do you know if you should see one?

• You can’t hear speech even if the room is quiet
• You don’t hear loud sounds well; for example, you don’t hear loud music, power tools, engines, or other very noisy things

If you have any of the problems listed below, please see a doctor, preferably an ear-nose-throat doctor (an ENT).

• Your ear has a congenital disability, an unusual shape, was injured or deformed in an accident.
• You saw blood, pus, or fluid coming out of your ear in the past six months
• Your ear feels painful or uncomfortable
• You have a lot of ear wax, or you think something could be in your ear
• You get dizzy or have a feeling of spinning or swaying (called vertigo)
• Your hearing changed suddenly in the past six months
• Your hearing changed: it gets worse then gets better again
• You have worse hearing in one ear
• You hear ringing or buzzing in only one year