You will still visit your eye doctor annually even if you already wear eyeglasses. Because, over time, your eyes change. Nothing in your body is static, not your eyes and not, as it happens, your ears either. That’s why, just as it is with your eyes, it’s crucial to keep having your ears examined even after you’ve purchased a nice pair of hearing aids.
Many individuals, unfortunately, miss those yearly appointments. Maybe a visit to their doctor is taking a back seat to enjoying life. Or perhaps, work has been especially hectic this year. Or maybe, you’ve just been so satisfied with your hearing aids that you haven’t felt the need to go back in. That’s a good thing, right?
Scheduling a hearing exam
Let’s take Daphne as a fictional example. Daphne has been noticing some red flags with her hearing for a while now. She keeps turning the TV up. She has a hard time following discussions at after-work happy hours in noisy restaurants. And so, she goes to get her hearing tested (because she’s intelligent and she takes care of herself).
After having her hearing checked, Daphne does everything she is supposed to: she purchases hearing aids, which are then correctly fitted and calibrated, and then she gets on with her life.
Problem solved? Well, not quite. It’s great that Daphne went in for a hearing test and discovered her hearing issues early. But for most individuals with hearing loss, even a minor one, follow-up care becomes almost more vital in the long run. Keeping up on routine appointments would be a wise plan for Daphne. But Daphne isn’t alone in neglected check-ups, according to one survey, just 33% of seniors with hearing aids also maintained regular hearing services.
If you already have hearing aids, why do you need check-ups?
Remember when we used the glasses metaphor earlier? Daphne’s hearing won’t become static and stop changing just because she has hearing aids. Her hearing aids will have to be adjusted to account for those changes. Regular testing helps monitor any changes in hearing and detect issues early.
And that’s not even the only reason why it might be a good idea to keep regular appointments after you get your hearing aids. Here are some of the most significant reasons:
- Your fit may change: Because your hearing is always changing, it’s quite possible that how your hearing aids fit around and in your ears will change. Routine hearing tests can help guarantee that your hearing aids keep fitting the way they’re designed to.
- Hearing aid calibration: While your general hearing health may continue to be stable, small changes in your hearing might create the need for annual calibration of your hearing aid. Without this calibration, your hearing aids may slowly become less and less reliable.
- Hearing degeneration: Even with a hearing aid, your hearing could keep deteriorating. If this deterioration is slow enough, you most likely won’t realize it’s happening without the aid of a hearing screening. Hearing decline can frequently be slowed by correctly adjusting your hearing aids.
Dangers and roadblocks
The greatest problem here is that sooner or later, the hearing aids Daphne is using will quit working the way they’re supposed to, so she’ll get frustrated with them and stop using them altogether. Using hearing aids helps slow hearing loss over time. 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, routine hearing exams are essential. Safeguard your hearing and ensure your hearing aids are properly working by having routine screenings.