Even if you use glasses (the kind you put on your face, not the kind you drink out of), you still see your eye doctor once a year, right? Because, over time, your eyes change. Similar to the rest of your body, your eyes aren’t static and neither are your ears. That’s why, much like your eyes, it’s essential to keep having your ears examined even after you’ve purchased a quality pair of hearing aids.
Many individuals, unfortunately, miss those annual appointments. Maybe a visit to their doctor is taking a back seat to enjoying life. Or, it may be that your job has been stressful lately. Or maybe you’ve simply decided to not go back in because you’re so satisfied with your hearing aids. That’s a good thing, right?
Getting your hearing checked
Let’s take Daphne as a fictional example. For some time now, Daphne has detected some symptoms with her hearing. She keeps increasing the volume on her TV. She has a hard time following discussions at after-work happy hours in noisy restaurants. And because she likes to take care of herself, and she’s smart, she schedules a hearing assessment.
Daphne makes certain to follow all of the steps to manage her hearing impairment: she purchases hearing aids, which are then correctly fitted and calibrated, and then she goes on with her life.
Issue solved? Well, maybe not completely. It’s fantastic that Daphne went in for a hearing exam and caught her hearing problems early. But, over time, follow-up care becomes almost more important for people with even a small amount of hearing loss. Daphne would be doing herself a favor by maintaining regular appointments. But Daphne’s not alone in bypassing check-ups, according to one survey, just 33% of seniors using hearing aids also maintained regular hearing services.
Why do you need hearing exams once you get hearing aids?
Okay, remember our glasses metaphor? Daphne’s hearing won’t become fixed and stop changing just because she has hearing aids. It’s important to adjust the hearing aids to counter those changes. Any hearing changes can be recognized early with periodic monitoring.
And that isn’t even the only reason why it may be a smart idea to keep routine appointments after you have your hearing aids. Some of the most prevailing reasons to ensure you make it to your next check-up include:
- Your fit may change: It’s possible that there will be a change in the way your hearing aids fit as your ears are always changing. Routine hearing tests can help ensure that your hearing aids keep fitting the way they’re supposed to.
- Hearing degeneration: Your hearing could continue to deteriorate even if you use hearing aids. If this deterioration is slow enough, you probably won’t realize it’s happening without the aid of a hearing exam. Hearing loss can often be slowed by properly fine-tuning your hearing aids.
- Hearing aid calibration: Your hearing changes in slight ways, and while your general hearing may remain consistent, these slight changes could require you to get regular hearing assessments. Your hearing aid could become less and less effective if you avoid this calibration.
Dangers and roadblocks
The greatest concern here is that eventually, the hearing aids Daphne is using will stop working the way they’re meant to, so she’ll get frustrated with them and stop wearing them entirely. Over time, hearing loss can be slowed by wearing hearing aids. Your hearing will deteriorate faster if you quit using your hearing aids and you probably won’t even detect it.
If you want your hearing aids to continue working efficiently, regular exams are going to be your best option in terms of achieving that. Protect your hearing and ensure your hearing aids are effectively working by having routine screenings.