If you've been wearing hearing aids for a while, you may be wondering when it's a good idea to consider replacing them. With technology constantly evolving, the market now offers a wide variety of hearing aids at very different price points.
Here are some questions you probably have:
Can I afford new hearing aids?
What should I know before buying a new pair?
CLARIA has all the answers you need when buying new hearing aids.
Hearing loss is common
Hearing loss is one of the most common disabilities in the general population. This is not surprising: our ears are constantly in use every day. With such intensive use, the risk of hearing loss is real, although it depends on environmental and situational factors.
How your ears work
The outer ear
Our ears are made up of three parts, each playing an essential role in the hearing process.
The outer ear consists of the auricle. This is the visible part of your ear, the part that protrudes from your head. This structure protects the sensitive material inside and is a unique identifying marker for each person.
When buying used hearing aids, the auricle is very important: it is the entrance to the ear canal, and its shape is unique to each individual.
The middle ear
The middle ear houses the tympanic membrane, more commonly known as the eardrum. This structure acts as a barrier between the outer ear and what is called the tympanic cavity, which houses three very important ossicles: the stirrup, the anvil, and the hammer.
These tiny bones play a major role in hearing: they interact with incoming sound waves and begin to vibrate. These vibrations form unique signatures for each frequency and create a kind of language, translating sound frequencies to be interpreted by the inner ear.
The inner ear
The inner ear is where the physical stimulus is converted into an electrical impulse.
The vibrations of the ossicles in the middle ear are transmitted to the cochlea, a part of the inner ear that houses the auditory nerves. These nerves transform the physical information received into an electrical impulse. This impulse is then routed to the brain for processing, and the frequencies then become identifiable sounds.
Replacing old hearing aids
Our ears are extraordinary organs that allow us to interpret the waves and frequencies around us as sounds.
Loud noises can impair the proper functioning of the ear and damage essential structures. Trauma can affect your hearing by directly impacting your neurosensory pathways or causing conductive hearing loss, and natural aging also plays a role. One in ten people reports some degree of hearing loss. The phenomenon increases with age, as one in three seniors also reports hearing loss.
So your hearing is not static. Just as you need to renew your eyeglass prescription, your current hearing aids may no longer be powerful enough to restore your hearing. Even if they are still working, new hearing aids may be necessary due to changes in your hearing over time. Features like CLARIA's precise adjustment and advanced audio processor can restore crystal-clear clarity to your world, even if your hearing has continued to deteriorate.
New technologies make old devices virtually obsolete.
Advanced features like CLARIA's background noise reduction, rechargeable hearing aids, and modern, virtually invisible earbuds make new hearing aids a smart investment. New CLARIA models like the EV1 and EV3 are so comfortable you'll forget you're wearing them.
People with hearing loss all have different needs when it comes to finding the ideal pair of hearing aids. Let's look at the disadvantages of keeping old hearing aids.
Used hearing aids
Beyond your constantly evolving needs and cutting-edge hearing technologies, you also have to contend with the daily wear and tear of your hearing aids. Most only last three to seven years.
Natural moisture and earwax will eventually damage your hearing aids, no matter how often you clean them. Used models already show wear and tear from earwax and the environment, making them a bad investment, now and in the future. This deterioration makes them unreliable: they can stop working randomly during the day, experience a sharp drop in sound quality, or fail permanently much earlier than a new model.
If you have old hearing aids, it's best to donate them to an organization that can reuse or recycle them to make new models.
Hearing aids are not necessarily expensive in themselves. The bill mainly goes up when you add in doctor's appointments, specialists, and tests needed for diagnosis.
CLARIA Hearing Aids
You no longer have to settle for used hearing aids to replace a broken or outdated device. With CLARIA, you can replace your old hearing aids with new, affordable models. Ultimately, it's much better to have a new device tailored to your personal needs than to use someone else's.
CLARIA offers two rechargeable models, the EV1 and EV3, to meet your hearing needs.
The EV1 offers 20 hours of listening per charge and 4 different ear tip sizes for a perfect fit for your ear, combined with a specific design that ensures remarkable comfort. These virtually undetectable hearing aids reduce background noise and amplify voices, so you hear what matters most, even in the noisiest environments.
The EV3 is even more discreet: 26% smaller than the EV1, it is even more invisible. It offers 24 hours of listening per charge and 6 ear tip sizes to further refine your comfort. With the same sound clarity as the EV1, the EV3 adds wireless charging, Clear Sound+ technology, and enhanced comfort for a cutting-edge hearing experience.
Both the EV1 and EV3 are industry benchmarks, and they cost thousands of dollars less than their competitors. With CLARIA, you enjoy premium hearing technology for less than $249.
Two types of hearing aids
Hearing aids fall into two main categories, or styles: behind-the-ear (BTE) and in-the-ear (ITE). Both styles are considered during customization.
Behind-the-ear
There are two types of behind-the-ear hearing aids. This style is also more universal.
For all behind-the-ear models, the largest part sits behind the ear and fits snugly. It is connected to a smaller element that sits inside the ear. This setup does not require custom molding for the earbud to fit the ear canal. However, the general dimensions can be customized.
If you are buying a used hearing aid, this style is the safest, as the device can be reprogrammed quickly and is most likely to fit your ears.
In-the-ear
On the other end of the spectrum, the in-the-ear (ITE) style poses more challenges for used hearing aid buyers. These devices are made from a custom mold of the person's ear for a perfect and optimized fit. CLARIA hearing aids are in the ITE style, which allows us to offer the virtually invisible and incredibly comfortable devices that our users appreciate so much.
You can reprogram ITE hearing aids to your specific needs. However, the chances of such a device fitting the unique shape of your ear are much lower.
These devices are tiny, one-piece, and fit comfortably in your ear canal.
CLARIA is with you
Replacing your old hearing aids with new ones is generally beneficial for gradually improving your hearing. Buying custom-made hearing aids is an expensive process and, for some people, financially inaccessible.
CLARIA hearing aids are high-quality, one-size-fits-all, affordable, reliable over-the-counter devices, much better than your old hearing aids.
"I highly recommend opting for new CLARIA hearing aids rather than using a used pair, regardless of who wore them before or their initial purchase price." - Drew Sutton, MD, board-certified otolaryngologist.
We work hard to offer an over-the-counter hearing aid that provides immense benefits without breaking the bank. If you want to learn more about hearing aids and how they can improve your hearing, we provide all the necessary resources.
Sources:
Anatomy and Physiology of the Ear - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center | Rochester.edu
Hearing aids: How to choose the right one | mayoclinic.org
Hearing Aids — Styles/Types & How They Work | NIDCD
Hearing Loss: Hearing Aid, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Types | Cleveland Clinic
