Hearing and Speech Center explains FDA announcement regarding hearing aids

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — The Food and Drug Administration recently established a regulatory category for over the counter hearing aids.

“What it’s done is given retail opportunities to buy an actual hearing aid, while there’s always been hearing amplifiers, personal listening devices, out from a retail capacity, now someone could go online, and do a test online and buy and buy a device through either a local retailer, or through an online option. And so for an organization, it’s only for certain levels, though, and only for certain ages. So it’s not appropriate for children, anyone under the age of 18,” says Marcey Ansley, the executive director at The Hearing and Speech Center.

She says the approval from the FDA also encourages the conversation of wearing and using hearing aid devices.

“For a long time, there’s been this kind of aversion to wanting to discuss hearing devices, because there’s an assumption that you’re getting too old, or there’s a lot of vanity around wearing a hearing device,” added Ansley,

And although Ansley says it is a step in the right direction, she also feels improvements can still be made in the process.

“It’s the fact that the FDA move forward without needing an actual hearing test. And so because you’re you’re putting a medical device in your ear, we feel really strongly that people really need to understand what their hearing loss level is, and then make a decision on their device of choice,” she also says.

Also adding that right now, The Hearing and Speech Center will not be offering over-the-counter options, but isn’t opposed to the idea in the future.

“We’ve not found a partner yet that we feel confident would meet the needs of our of our patients. Not to say that we won’t ever, but at the moment, we’re not,” she also said.

For more information on The Hearing and Speech Center, click here.