You will still visit your eye doctor yearly even if you already wear eyeglasses. Because your eyes change as time passes. Nothing in your body is fixed, 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 checked even after you’ve invested in a nice pair of hearing aids.
Regrettably, many people miss those routine check-ups. Perhaps a trip to their doctor is taking a back seat to enjoying life. Or maybe, work has been especially hectic this year. Or maybe you’ve simply decided not to go back in because you’re so pleased with your hearing aids. That’s a good thing, right?
Getting your hearing checked
Let’s use Daphne as our fictional stand-in. Daphne has been noticing some red flags associated with her hearing for some time now. She keeps turning the TV up. When she goes out after work to a loud restaurant, she has difficulty following conversations. And because she enjoys taking care of herself, and she’s smart, she schedules a hearing exam.
After getting her hearing examined, Daphne does everything she is supposed to: she gets fitted for new hearing aids and has them precisely calibrated, and then goes back to her regular routine.
Issue solved? Well, yes and no. It’s great that Daphne went in for a hearing exam and caught her hearing issues early. But, in the long run, follow-up care becomes almost more significant for people with even a small amount of hearing loss. Keeping up on routine appointments would be a smart plan for Daphne. But Daphne isn’t alone in neglected check-ups, based on one study, only 33% of seniors using hearing aids also maintained regular hearing services.
Why do you need check-ups after you get hearing aids?
Alright, remember our glasses metaphor? Daphne’s hearing won’t become fixed and stop changing just because she uses hearing aids. It’s necessary to adjust the hearing aids to counter those changes. Any hearing changes can be detected early with routine monitoring.
And there are other benefits to having routine hearing exams after you get hearing aids. Some of the most common reasons to ensure you get to your next appointment include:
- Hearing aid calibration: Your hearing changes in slight ways, and while your overall hearing may remain consistent, these small changes could require you to get regular hearing tests. Your hearing aid could become less and less reliable if you skip this calibration.
- Your fit may change: Because your ears are always changing, it’s entirely possible that the way your hearing aids fit inside of your ears will change. Making sure your hearing aids continue to fit well is a significant part of your regular check-ups.
- Hearing deterioration: Your hearing could continue to deteriorate even if you use hearing aids. If this deterioration is slow enough, you probably won’t recognize it’s happening without the assistance of a hearing exam. Hearing decline can frequently be slowed by appropriately adjusting your hearing aids.
Hazards and hurdles
The problem is, Daphne may, in her frustration, quit using her hearing aids altogether because they’re not functioning correctly. Over time, hearing loss can be slowed by wearing hearing aids. Your hearing will decline faster if you stop wearing your hearing aids and you probably won’t even notice it.
As far as attaining efficient performance of your hearing aids, and optimal hearing, routine hearing exams are essential. Protect your hearing and ensure your hearing aids are effectively working by having regular screenings.
