Reasons Hearing Aids Are NOT Like Glasses

We often think about a deterioration in vision and hearing as being symptomatic of old age. Indeed, our systems do experience a decline in our later years, and that may manifest as either a hearing loss or loss of sight. However, the similarities between these two conditions are very limited and treating them requires two very different approaches. Here are a few key reasons glasses differ from hearing aids.

1.      Most hearing problems are sensorineural, and most eye problems are mechanical. This is an oversimplification, but it is important to distinguish these differences. As long as the optic nerve is in good health, treating vision is relatively direct. Hearing, on the other hand, works in tandem with the brain. This makes hearing loss a complicated condition to treat.

2.      Your hearing won’t get worse while wearing a hearing aid. Your brain actually works harder when hearing aids are in use. Hearing aids work to stimulate the nerves in the ear, which in turn send more activity to the brain. Glasses, on the other hand, compensate for the muscles in your eyes so that they are working less. Over time, these muscles can weaken and your eyesight may suffer.

3.      Hearing aids are more complicated. Generally, glasses serve one function: to refract light at the correct power to enable the user to see. Bifocals can be more challenging to get used to, but the process is relatively straightforward. Hearing aids offer corrections (gain) for each individual frequency. In eyeglasses, this level of sophistication might be similar to the lenses continuously adjusting the spectrum of colors.

4.      Hearing aids require more customizations. Unlike your eyeglass prescription, tuning your hearing aids can require more trial and error. Everyone experiences hearing loss differently. In order to make sure the right set of frequencies is amplified and filtered, you may need to have a couple of fittings with your audiologist.

Both eyeglasses and hearing aids serve to improve an individual’s overall health and quality of life. However, hearing aids require adjustments and patience to work optimally. If you’d like to set up a hearing consultation or are in need of hearing aid repair in Houston, we can help. Our hearing center serves central Texas in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders. Contact us at (832) 495-4277!