Common Questions About Hearing Loss

Q: How do I know if I need hearing aids?
A: Often, difficulty hearing stems from excess ear wax , an infection, or a physical irregularity, such as a perforated ear drum. These issues can be corrected medically, without the need for hearing aids.

A simple hearing quiz can tell you if your hearing should be checked. However, everyone over age 50 should have a baseline hearing screening. A proper hearing exam uses sounds, tones and speech to test your hearing. It must be performed in the right environment and analyzed correctly. Your results, which are plotted on an audiogram, will indicate whether or not you are a candidate for hearing aids.

Q: Am I at risk for a hearing loss?

Q: What causes hearing loss?
A: Hearing loss can be caused by a number of factors – the aging process, heredity, disease, noise and build-up of earwax, among others.

Q: Can noise really hurt my ears?

A: If you experience a number of warning signs, or if people often tell you that you're not hearing well, you may have a hearing loss.

A: The best thing to do is make an appointment for a hearing screening with a licensed Beltone Hearing Care Professional. The screening will tell you what you're hearing and what you could be missing.

A: Your Beltone Hearing Care Professional will first ask you about your lifestyle and hearing needs. You will then be given a comprehensive hearing screening, a video ear exam and a word discrimination test. These will explain whether or not you have a hearing loss, and will help decide the next steps to be taken.

Q: How will I know which hearing aids are right for me?
A: Your Beltone Hearing Care Professional will make the best recommendation for you based on your lifestyle, hearing loss and budget.

Q: How much do hearing instruments cost?

Q: Can I try a hearing aid before I buy?
A: Yes. Beltone offers you the opportunity to “test drive” a hearing aid to see what it sounds like in a variety of listening situations… before you leave the office.

Q: Do hearing aids really help reduce background noise?

Q: What is digital technology?
A:Digital hearing aids convert sound received by the hearing aid's microphone from an analog to a digital signal. This allows the hearing instrument to produce the exact requirements for a particular hearing loss; always keeping the loudness at a comfortable level. It also allows for advanced noise reduction features that distinguish between speech and non-speech signals, and automatically decrease loudness of those non-speech signals, if needed.


Q: What is open fit technology?
A: Open fit hearing aids are designed for cosmetic appeal, comfortable fit and natural sound quality. They do not give the wearer a “plugged up” sensation or distort your own voice.

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