ASHA Urges 'Smart' Shopping for OTC Hearing Aids This Holiday Season
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association advised consumers to be “smart shoppers” when buying over-the-counter hearing aids this holiday season, the first since the Food and Drug Administration’s rule establishing them as a regulatory category took effect in October (see 2210170052). Noting…
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excitement among consumers about availability of OTC versions, “especially since many people have delayed getting help because hearing aids were out of reach financially," Donna Smiley, ASHA chief staff officer-audiology, said Thursday it's "important to make an informed decision.” OTC hearing aids “still come with a considerable price tag,” she said. OTC hearing aids are intended for use by adults with “self-perceived mild to moderate hearing loss,” ASHA said, saying people with hearing loss beyond mild to moderate “are not candidates for these products” and could suffer harm by not using them properly. ASHA recommends anyone buying an OTC product get a hearing evaluation from a certified audiologist. OTC hearing aids have no mandated trial period or return window, which ASHA said is a difference between them and most prescription hearing aids obtained from an audiologist. The return policy must be printed on the packaging, it said. Shoppers should look for the terms “OTC” and “hearing aid” on labels “so they don’t fall victim to scammers that try to make non-hearing aid products (such as simple sound amplifiers) appear as OTC hearing aids,” it said.