About OTC Hearing Aids

What type of a hearing loss is an OTC hearing aid made for?

  • OTC hearing aids are designed for individuals with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment.

How does an individual know they have perceived mild to moderate hearing loss?

  • They have trouble hearing speech in noisy places
  • They find it hard to follow speech in groups
  • They have trouble hearing on the phone
  • Listening makes them tired
  • They need to turn up the volume on the TV or radio, and other people complain it’s too loud.

Is there an age requirement to use OTC hearing aids?

  • Yes.  Individuals must be over 18 years of age to use OTC hearing aids. 

What main features make a hearing aid an OTC hearing aid?

  1. The user can change the hearing aid to different programs to hear in different environments. 
  2. The volume can be adjusted.
  3. The output is limited for mild for moderate hearing impairment. 

Are Neptune Hearing’s hearings aid “Prescription” hearing aids?

  • No.  Because Neptune Hearing’s hearing aids are OTC, individuals do not need a medical exam, prescription, or a fitting adjustment by an audiologist or hearing professional to use them.    

What are the signs that an individual may need help from a hearing healthcare professional, like an Audiologist?

  • They can’t hear speech even if the room is quiet.
  • They don’t hear loud sounds well, for example, they don’t hear loud music, power tools, engines, or other very noisy things. 
  • If their hearing loss makes it hard to hear loud noises.
  • If a hearing aid does not help them enough.

What are the warning signs that an individual should see a doctor, preferably an ear-nose-throat doctor and NOT buy an OTC hearing aid?

  • Their ear has a birth defect or an unusual shape.  Their ear was injured or deformed in an accident
  • They saw blood, pus, or fluid coming out of their ear in the past 6 months
  • Their ear feels painful or uncomfortable
  • They have a lot of ear wax, or think something could be in their ear
  • They get really dizzy or have a feeling of spinning or swaying (called vertigo)
  • Their hearing changed suddenly in the past 6 months
  • Their hearing changes:  it gets worse then gets better again
  • They have significantly worse hearing in one ear
  • They hear ringing or buzzing in only one ear