HEARINGS AIDS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY OTC IN AMERICA

Legislation has been passed in the United States that will allow those hard of hearing to buy their hearing aids over the counter.

In The United States, you could only get a hearing aid if you have a prescription for it. The prescription you have to get from a hearing health professional and you have to undergo a custom fitting.

Now, people with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to buy their hearing aids themselves. They will have the option of buying it directly from a store or online.

CNN reports that about 1 in 8 people in the United States ages 12 and older has hearing loss in both ears, and the rate increases significantly with age. About a quarter of people 65 to 74 have hearing loss, and that goes up to 50% around age 75. But only about 16% of the tens of millions of people with hearing loss use a hearing aid.

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned that the devices won’t be free, but considerably more affordable.

The rule had a long journey before it was officially made law. President Trump had already signed it into law in 2017, but nothing happened after that until two senators got involved and urged the FDA to take action.

In South Africa, the public has always been able to buy hearing aids from the distributor of their choice. No prescription is needed and the price range varies to accommodate the different levels of hearing impairment as well as the needs of those who are hard of hearing.

Image credit: Oticon