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Notes
Note: What you might
expect when you start
using a hearing aid.
A hearing aid can benefit many people with
hearing loss. However, you should know it
will not restore normal hearing, and you
may still have some difficulty hearing over
noise. Further, a hearing aid will not prevent
or improve a medical condition that causes
hearing loss.
People who start using hearing aids
sometimes need a few weeks to get used
to them. Similarly, many people find that
training or counseling can help them get
more out of their devices.
If you have hearing loss in both ears, you
might get more out of using hearing aids
in both, especially in situations that make
you tired from listening – for example, noisy
environments.
Note: Tell FDA about
injuries, malfunctions, or
other adverse events.
To report a problem involving your hearing
aid, you should submit information to FDA
as soon as possible after the problem. FDA
calls them “adverse events”, and they might
include: skin irritation in your ear, injury
from the device (like cuts or scratches, or
burns from an overheated battery), pieces
of the device getting stuck in your ear,
suddenly worsening hearing loss from
using the device, etc.
Instructions for reporting are available at
https://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch, or
call 1-800-FDA-1088. You can also download
a form to email to FDA.
Note: Hearing loss in
people younger than 18.
• People younger than 18 should see a
doctor first, preferably an ear-nose-throat
doctor (an ENT), because they may have
different needs than adults.
• The doctor will identify and treat medical
conditions as appropriate.
• The doctor may refer the person to an
audiologist for a separate test, a hearing
aid evaluation.
• The hearing aid evaluation will help the
audiologist select and fit the appropriate
hearing aid.
A person who is younger than 18 years old
with hearing loss should have a medical
evaluation by a doctor, preferably an ENT,
before buying a hearing aid. The purpose of
a medical evaluation is to identify and treat
medical conditions that may affect hearing
but that a hearing aid won’t treat on its own.
Following the medical evaluation and
if appropriate, the doctor will provide a
written statement that the hearing loss has
been medically evaluated and the person
is a candidate for a hearing aid. The doctor
may refer the person to an audiologist for
a hearing aid evaluation, which is different
from the medical evaluation and is intended
to identify the appropriate hearing aid.
