Living with hearing loss can be an extremely distressing and upsetting experience. We often find that the deterioration of our hearing sneaks up on us, taking place so slowly and incrementally that by the time we realize that we have been affected by it, it has in most cases already become quite profound. We find that we have to ask people to repeat themselves more and more frequently. Our friends and even our partners can become frustrated with us. We can find ourselves making mistakes at work due to basic miscommunications or at odds with the neighbors over the volume of the TV or radio.

Understandably, many feel sensitive about their hearing loss. As such they may attempt to purchase a hearing aid online and hope for the best. However, there’s absolutely no substitute for having a hearing aid properly selected and fitted for you by a trained audiologist. While it may be understandable that you want a swift and decisive resolution to your hearing loss issues trying to achieve this without the help of an audiologist. Here are just a few of the reasons why a hearing aid fitting with a trained professional is so vitally important.

It’s so much more than just a fitting

A fitting is just a part of the overall process. An audiologist will need to consult with you to get to know your ears better. By the time you reach the point where you’ve selected a hearing aid and are ready to have it fitted, your audiologist will be familiar with your specific type of hearing loss, the most probable cause and the specific frequencies your hearing needs to be amplified.

Upon fitting your hearing aid they will also guide you through living with it, taking care of it and what to expect when you use it.

Buying direct can create more problems than it solves

Direct-to-consumer hearing aids are developed with a one-size-fits-all approach to hearing loss. But hearing loss is a very personal thing and everyone’s hearing loss is slightly different. As such, many spend a fortune on direct-to-consumer hearing aids that are fit poorly and typically wind up unused in a box somewhere. Not a great investment.

Your hearing loss may just be the tip of the iceberg

Hearing loss has a variety of causes and getting to the bottom of the cause of your hearing loss is the key to treating it. By carrying out a range of detailed examinations on your ears your audiologist is able to determine the underlying cause of your issues, which may just be the tip of the iceberg. In some cases hearing loss is the symptom of a greater medical issue that needs to be treated, other times hearing loss simply needs to be treated on its own.

Before fitting your hearing aid your audiologist will also carry out a series of tests of the ear canal and Eustachian tube to check for any underlying medical conditions.

As you can see, while purchasing a hearing aid directly is an option, it’s far more important to seek a trained audiologist for a professional fitting.