this is really cool but at the same time Im kinda conflicted on this. On one hand this is amazing for people that need access to hearing aids. But on the other hand....if you don't get hearing aids that are properly adjusted and maintained, you can actually end up with worse hearing damage.

Happened to my dad. He started off with budget hearing aids from Costco. They cost around 600$ with a test from an audiologist in 2016 "I believe this is still different than what is being offered now with the new plan"

it turns out there was a frequency that he couldn't quite pick up but was constantly hammering his eardrums causing an eventual tear and further deterioration of his eardrum. he couldn't hear the damage per se, but he could feel it over time.

After a few years of use and worsening hearing damage, he finally went to a top-end 2018 audiologist and got "those 6000$" pair. "though that includes 1 free replacement and yearly adjustments + hardware updates if need"

IRC i last looked and i think the same pair was roughly 4000$ in today's money "still horribly expensive" but at some point you have to think, is it better to spend more for something that can greatly affect your life?

there's some insane technology and testing that goes into making sure they are just perfect for the wearer.

Well fast-forward to 2022 and his natural hearing has improved by almost 20%. This was because the "I'm not an ear doctor" parts were healing inside his ear and nerve regrowth started to happen. "which causes a new issue but that's a different subject" and this was mostly due to the wide adjustment range the more expensive models had. And being able to program out entirely some sound frequencies that were painfull or damaging the most.

So while it's amazing that more Americans have great access to more hearing support. should there be concern about those same people maybe experiencing worsening conditions?

My big concern is if they become truly over the counter, Lots of people that could potentially skip out on finding better help might be coerced into getting lesser help and maybe even making their hearing loss worse. And this could just come from not understanding audiology and the way the ear works and how things needs to be maintained with such hearing support devices.

I know everyone hearing situation and loss of hearing is different. but the danger still is there.

It's kind of interesting they dropped bose, sony along with bestbuy. but this seems more of a marketing move to give privet companies "medical grade or FDA" accepted hearing support? I'm not sure if there's laws regarding what a headphone manufacture can label as hearing aids..

Some things that come with improper hearing devices and deteriorated hearing.

Virtego

Dissyness

Alhzimers

spacial awareness.

Super interesting but some concern follows. then again that could be said about everything.

Maybe the better route is to force health insurancers to support more audiology equipment. donno