Audiologist Warn Against Buying Hearing Aidswithout Proper Diagnosis of Hearing Loss
The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) urges consumers who suspect thatthey have hearing loss to seek treatment from a licensed audiologist or other hearing healthcare professional to ensure the proper diagnosisand treatment of hearing loss.
Even when hearing loss is detected through a comprehensiveexamination, hearing aids are not always a recommended course of treatment.
Key risks of omitting an evaluation and treatment by a licensed audiologist or hearing healthcare professional include the missed diagnosis of a serious underlying health condition that requires medical intervention and subsequent hearing loss as a result ofimproper fitting and/or programming of hearing aids.
According to the ADA, there are manypossible causes of hearing loss including: -Aging -Blockages in the outer ear -Ear infections -Head injury -Medication -Meniere’s Disease -Tumors
On October 26, 2011, the Minnesota Department ofHealth released a statementstressing the importance of seeing a hearing healthpractitioner for hearing lossand advising that failure to do so “skirts state and federal legal protections and could result in harm.”
Hearing aids are medical devicesregulated by the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) and must be recommended, sold and fit by qualifiedhealth professionals.
The ADA urges consumers to seek proper diagnosis, treatment and counseling forsuspected hearing loss. To find a licensed ADA member in your area, visit http://www.audiologist.org/audiologist-directory.html