If you are experiencing hearing issues, you may benefit from a hearing aid. You can shop for hearing aids in a brick-and-mortar store or online. They are available in various types and styles. At Livingston Hearing Aid Center, we are your source for an array of hearing devices to enhance your hearing, regardless of whether your hearing loss is minor or significant.
Purchase Hearing Aids Over-the-Counter
If you are over 18 years of age, you can purchase hearing aids at a store over the counter. Recently, the FDA set up a new category of hearing aids so that individuals 18 or older with mild to moderate levels of hearing loss and purchase in a physical store or online without an appointment with an ear-nose-throat physician or an audiologist (a licensed hearing healthcare professional).
Purchase Hearing Aids From an Audiologist
You can schedule and attend an appointment with an audiologist or a hearing aid dispenser to obtain a hearing aid of your choice. These professionals can provide you with a hearing test and evaluation to assess your hearing and offer a specialized hearing solution.
Get a Hearing Test
Getting a hearing evaluation and test is the first step toward getting a hearing aid. An audiologist can provide this test for you, which will help determine the severity of your hearing loss and how much it is impacting your capability to communicate.
Medical Examination First?
In some cases, one must visit a doctor (an ear, nose, and throat doctor) before purchasing a hearing aid. A doctor can help determine the cause of your hearing loss that may require medical intervention other than hearing aids.
However, if you are 18 or older with detectable hearing loss in the mild to moderate category, you can buy over-the-counter hearing aids without a doctor’s appointment first. The over-the-counter hearing aid package itself may contain information that helps you determine whether to see a medical professional first before buying.
If you are under 18 years old or have especially severe hearing loss, you must get a prescription (or equivalent order) from someone licensed in your state. Although the FDA does not require a hearing test or medical exam to get prescription hearing aids, the state in which you live may require you to see a licensed professional first, such as an ear-nose-throat doctor or an audiologist.
To learn about the various hearing aid devices we offer, check out our website or text us at 866.210.3541.
