You will still see your eye doctor yearly even if you already use 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, much like your eyes, it’s crucial to keep having your ears checked even after you’ve purchased a nice pair of hearing aids.
Unfortunately, many people skip those regular check-ups. Perhaps they’ve been too occupied enjoying their lives to get back in to see your physician. Or, it might be that your job has been stressful lately. Or maybe you’ve simply decided not to go back in because you’re so pleased with your hearing aids. It seems as if that would be good, right?
Getting your hearing examined
Let’s take Daphne as an imaginary example. Daphne has been observing some red flags related to her hearing for some time now. Her TV volume is getting louder and louder. She has a hard time 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 test.
After having her hearing assessed, Daphne does everything she’s supposed to: she gets fitted for new hearing aids and has them properly calibrated, and then gets back to her normal routine.
Problem solved? Well, maybe not entirely. Going in for a screening allowed her to recognize her hearing loss early and that’s great. But, over time, follow-up care becomes even more important for people with even a small amount of hearing loss. Keeping up on regular appointments would be a wise plan for Daphne. But Daphne isn’t alone in neglected check-ups, based on one survey, only 33% of seniors using hearing aids also scheduled routine hearing services.
Why do you need check-ups once you get hearing aids?
Okay, remember our glasses metaphor? Just because Daphne has hearing aids now doesn’t mean her hearing will become fixed and stop changing. It’s essential to fine-tune the hearing aids to deal with those changes. Any hearing changes can be identified early with regular monitoring.
And there are other reasons for getting regular hearing assessments after you get hearing aids. Some of the most prevailing reasons to ensure you get to your next appointment include:
- Your fit may change: Because your ears are always changing, it’s very possible that the way your hearing aids fit inside of your ears will shift. Making sure your hearing aids continue to fit properly is a significant part of your regular check-ups.
- Hearing aid calibration: While your overall hearing health might continue to be stable, small changes in your hearing may produce the need for annual calibration of your hearing aid. Without this calibration, your hearing aids may slowly become less and less effective.
- Hearing degeneration: Even with a hearing aid, your hearing could continue to deteriorate. Often, this deterioration of your hearing is very gradual and without regular examinations, you probably won’t even recognize it. Correct adjustments to your hearing aids can frequently slow hearing declines.
Dangers and hurdles
The problem is, Daphne could, in her frustration, quit using her hearing aids altogether because they’re not working correctly. Using hearing aids helps slow hearing loss over time. If you stop wearing them, not only can your hearing diminish faster, you may not notice it right away.
In terms of achieving optimal performance of your hearing aids, and optimal hearing, regular hearing exams are essential. Protect your hearing and make sure your hearing aids are properly working by having regular screenings.