The Audiologist Informer

As a deaf person, I’m wary that the FDA and our elected officials might see OTC legislation as a box checked off a to-do list, and forget about the rest of us who are not aided by this change. Those like me who require higher-powered devices will still be forced to pay out-of-pocket and no children will benefit from the new category of aids.

The FDA's new rules allow Lucid, one of the more successful PSAP manufacturers, to expand its portfolio with new OTC products. The company says the new devices will be for sale at national retailer partner locations at price points well below prescription offerings.

Are you an audiologist or hearing aid specialist? If so, what do you think about OTC hearing aids? Have your say! Participate in this short survey and receive a copy of the survey results as soon as the survey closes. We will close the survey after collecting 500 results.

The study finds hearing aid use for people living in the community with dementia and hearing loss is influenced by 1) degree of hearing aid handling proficiency; 2) positive experiential consequences; 3) degree of hearing aid comfort or fit; 4) person-environment interactions, and 5) social reinforcement.