Frequently Asked Questions about Hearing Aids

While hearing loss is not reversible, the causes of hearing loss are preventable. Any treatment for your hearing loss begins with an evaluation by a doctor or hearing care professional.

Once you know the type and extent of your hearing loss, you will be able to make decisions about how to address it. One form of dealing with the problem is hearing aids, which restore our hearing to approximately normal levels.

On the contrary, hearing loss has nothing to do with the age of the person. There are babies who are born hard of hearing, while the majority of hearing impaired patients are between the ages of 45 and 65.

According to research, about one in 10 people suffer from hearing loss and only about 37% are over the age of 65.

A hearing aid can amplify, at the required volume, frequencies you are unable to hear, give clarity and definition to speech, help you hear your own speech better, help you effectively in your daily life.

It is obvious that a hearing aid cannot restore your normal hearing. At the same time, it cannot convert already distorted sounds into clear sound and it cannot allow you to hear only the sounds you want to hear.

The sound is captured from the environment through the microphone of the hearing aid. Through one or more sound amplifiers, the sound is amplified and then output from the loudspeaker of the hearing aid into your ear canal. The hearing aid is powered by a very small battery or is rechargeable.

As electronic devices, hearing aids theoretically last forever. In practice, the lifespan of a hearing aid depends both on the quality of its construction and on proper maintenance by you (cleaning, dehumidification, annual check-ups).

Since every person has 2 ears, it’s a good idea to use 2 hearing aids, one in each ear, so that you can hear sounds coming from both sides of your environment naturally.

It makes sense to hear better with two ears than one, so wearing hearing aids bilaterally provides a multitude of benefits such as:

• You can distinguish speech more easily and hear more clearly.
• You hear speech better in noisy environments.
• It is easier to grasp the direction of sound origin.
• The acoustic quality is better and the sound is more natural and fuller.
• You no longer need to sit in front when you go somewhere to listen, because the two headsets detect the direction of sound wherever you sit.

However, you can of course also settle for one hearing aid.

Never buy hearing aids from street vendors or from radio and television advertisements, because these are not devices recognized as hearing aids but simple amplifiers.

Always take care to buy your hearing aid from a certified shop that has devices with a CE identification number and all the certificates required.

It is advisable, at your hearing aid appointments, to have a relative with you to better determine your needs and how much your hearing loss interferes with your daily life.

If your hearing aid becomes defective, contact your hearing care professional immediately. It is wise to keep a diary of your experiences while using the hearing aid to help your hearing care professional at your next visit.

EOPYY grants €450 to buy a hearing aid every 4 years.

For hearing loss of more than 80 dB in both ears, the EHIC will pay €900 for two hearing aids every 4 years.

What is it?

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that provides hearing to people who are highly hearing impaired or have lost their hearing. The implant is also suitable for children with congenital deafness and enables many people to experience hearing for the first time. It is inserted by surgery.

How does it work?

The cochlear implant is a high-tech device and comes to replace damaged or dead hair cells in the cochlea by directly stimulating the auditory nerve. Signals are transmitted through the cochlea from the auditory nerve to the brain and converted into sounds.

What is bilateral implantation?

Bilateral implantation is the placement of two cochlear implants, one on each side. It makes sense to hear better with two ears than one, so bilateral cochlear implantation in both ears provides a multitude of advantages.