Hearing aids like canes and orthopedic shoes are something you don't think about when you're young. But maybe you should.
Perhaps you know who needs hearing aids, or will one day need them yourself. Approximately 30 million people in the United States over the age of 12 suffer from hearing loss in both ears, and about two-thirds of people become hearing impaired, ranging from mild to severe, by their 70s.
But it can be difficult to talk to your parents or grandparents about getting hearing aids – I did that. They may not like the idea of sticking things into the ear canal or confronting the difficult realities of aging and health. They certainly avoid the price tag of hearing aids. Hearing aids cost thousands of dollars and are not covered by insurance or Medicare.
However, plugging in small speakers in your ears is not the only way. Your mom may already own a hearing aid without knowing it.
Hearing aids were more accessible or futuristic than ever before. In April, a company called Nuance began selling glasses that doubled as hearing aids thanks to built-in microphones and beamforming speakers. It's not $1,200, but it's not cheap, but much lower than a pair of prescription hearing aids. This ranges from $2,000 to $7,000.
Nuance Glasses has joined the increasingly crowded market of FDA-regulated commercial hearing aids, including everything from Sony to size buds, which has acquired features through software updates from the latest Apple Airpods Pro. Prices for these devices start at as low as $100 and you don't need an auditory specialist to help you set them up.
Hearing aids were more accessible or futuristic than ever before.
You can also purchase what is legally considered a personal sound amplification product (PSAP). Some of them can play music and handle phones. In an age where earphones are ubiquitous, these devices appeal to all ages.
“It's good that people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are talking about it, it's good that they're talking about it,” said Nicholas Reid, a faculty member at NYU's Grossman School of Medicine.
I'm a millennial, but I've also dealt with hearing impairments for the rest of my life. The bad part of my childhood ear infections was that I was almost deaf to one ear and quite uneven in the other. I read Tip as a teenager and learned to avoid loud college conversations. My 20s surgery brought me closer to normal, but I still managed to take advantage of some help.
Over the past few weeks I've tried out nuanced glasses in a variety of settings. Not only do they feel almost indistinguishable from my regular glasses, but they also forget that they are hearing aids. Created by Essilorluxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban and dozens of other glass brands, Nuance Glasses employs the same technology that helps Ray-Ban Meta Glasses play music and talk to AI. And while nuanced glasses don't currently offer the option to stream audio, they can help you hear what your friends are saying in the big bar.
The AirPods Pro 2, which retailed for $250, works just as well. After Apple announced last fall that the software update would unlock accessibility settings, it's properly called a hearing aid – I've started using it all the time, switching between listening to podcasts and ordering cold brews in crowded coffee shops. If I might need to ask people to repeat myself in the past, I hear they will work for the first time. I always need to wear an air pod, which makes the glasses solution even more attractive.
For most people, hearing loss usually starts in their 50s and gains momentum in early retirement years. If you've been to a busy restaurant with your parents or grandparents, you know this is alienated for those left behind, and it's also frustrating for hearing people. Social isolation can lead to loneliness and anxiety, which can speed up cognitive decline and reduce life expectancy.
Nevertheless, traditional clinical hearing aids and new categories of devices are not easy modifications. Once you start wearing your hearing aids, it will take some time to adjust them. It may help you fine-tune the sound as you're used to. That's one of the reasons why so many people avoid it. Only one in five people actually need hearing aids. They can't get them in their ears and they have instantly perfect hearing. Your brain will adjust over time, so it may take weeks or months to adapt to new frequencies hearing aids help you hear.
Still, it's a valuable project.
“Sensory input is very important to our presence, but we've overlooked it for a long time,” Reed said. “It's essential for your presence and connection with others.”
It is not clear how the latest hearing aid innovations will move the needle into adoption. Although commercial hearing aids have been available since 2022, when the FDA implemented new regulations on devices, it is a difficult battle to get people to wear them.
“Sensory input is key to our existence, but we have overlooked it for a long time.”
– Nicholas Reed, faculty member of NYU Grossman School of Medicine
“Hearing aid uptake has not increased significantly since commercial hearing aids became available,” said Tricia Ashby, senior director of audiology practice at the American Audio Hearing Association (ASHA). “And I have to say I'm mimicking other countries that had commercial hearing aids before the US did.”
Given the fact that older people who need them most are unlikely to be able to try the latest technology, it may take several years for commercial hearing aids to become mainstream. However, given the precedent set by companies like Apple and Nuance, there is a possibility that more devices will add hearing aid to existing products.
You can imagine the future of wearing earphones, the voice assistant's interface, and a lifeline on a big plane. There may be glasses that will help you project the direction you walk into your field of vision and hear which direction traffic is coming when you have to cross the street. These types of features become more important as you get older and you need a little more help.
“We're in an age where you're thinking about optimizing aging, and how do you do that?” Reed said. “And that's what it is.”
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