You will still visit your eye doctor annually even if you already wear eyeglasses. Because your eyes change as time passes. Similar to the rest of your body, your eyes aren’t fixed and neither are your ears. That’s why, even after you’ve purchased hearing aids, it’s imperative to consistently get your ears tested just like you would with your eyes.
Many people, unfortunately, skip those annual appointments. Maybe they’ve been too occupied enjoying their lives to get back in to see the doctor. Or maybe, work has been particularly hectic this year. Or maybe you’ve just decided to not go back in because you’re so satisfied with your hearing aids. It seems like that would be good, right?
Getting your hearing examined
Let’s use Daphne as our imaginary stand-in. Daphne has been noticing some red flags with her hearing for a while now. She keeps turning the TV up. She has problems understanding conversations at after-work happy hours in loud restaurants. And because she enjoys taking care of herself, and she’s intelligent, she schedules a hearing assessment.
Daphne makes certain to follow all of the instructions to manage her hearing impairment: she gets fitted for new hearing aids and has them properly calibrated, and then goes back to her regular routine.
Problem solved? Well, yes and no. Going in for an exam allowed her to catch her hearing loss early and that’s great. But, in the long run, follow-up care becomes even more significant for people with even a small amount of hearing loss. Daphne would be doing herself a favor by keeping regular appointments. However, one study revealed that only about 33% of seniors with hearing aids get regular check-ups so Daphne isn’t alone.
Why do you need check-ups once you have hearing aids?
Remember when we used the glasses metaphor earlier? Just because Daphne uses hearing aids now doesn’t mean her hearing will become fixed and stop changing. It’s necessary to adjust the hearing aids to counter those changes. Periodic testing helps track any changes in hearing and catch issues early.
And there are other benefits to having routine hearing assessments after you get hearing aids. Some of the most prevailing reasons to ensure you make it to your next check-up include:
- Your fit may change: Because your hearing is always changing, it’s entirely possible that the way your hearing aids fit around and in your ears will shift. Regular check-ups can help guarantee that your hearing aids continue to fit the way they’re designed to.
- Hearing aid calibration: Your hearing changes in small ways, and while your general hearing may remain consistent, these slight changes could require you to get regular hearing examinations. Your hearing aid could become less and less effective if you skip this calibration.
- Hearing deterioration: Your hearing could continue to worsen even if you have hearing aids. Frequently, this degeneration of your hearing is quite slow and without routine screenings, you most likely won’t even recognize it. Appropriate adjustments to your hearing aids can often slow hearing loss.
Dangers and roadblocks
The issue is, Daphne could, in her frustration, quit using her hearing aids entirely because they’re not working properly. Over time, hearing loss can be slowed by wearing hearing aids. Your hearing will decline faster if you quit using your hearing aids and you most likely won’t even notice it.
If you want your hearing aids to continue working efficiently, routine check-ups are going to be your best bet in terms of attaining that. Safeguard your hearing and make sure your hearing aids are effectively working by getting routine screenings.