AND OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss (HL) is common among older adults and associated with adverse health outcomes. Although hearing aids (HAs) are effective for mild to moderately severe HL, their use is limited by cost and stigma. To improve accessibility, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized over-the-counter (OTC) HAs....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Audiologists should be aware of the emerging evidence base on OTC hearing aid effectiveness in older adults with mild-to-moderately-severe hearing loss, as findings may inform counseling on device options and appropriate candidacy boundaries.
With OTC hearing aids now a regulatory reality in many markets, peer-reviewed evidence on their real-world effectiveness in aging populations is essential for setting clinical expectations and shaping audiologist counseling practices.
- 01Study evaluates OTC hearing aids for older adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.
- 02Focuses on aging populations, a key demographic for OTC device adoption.
- 03Compares outcomes across the severity range OTC devices are approved to address.
- 04Findings are directly relevant to audiologist counseling and OTC vs. prescription device decisions.
- 05Journal of Audiology and Otology publication adds to a still-limited OTC evidence base.
OTC hearing aids are effective for managing hearing loss in older adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42861444
- DOI
- 10.7874/jao.2026.00066.
- Journal
- Journal of Audiology and Otology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Older adults with mild to moderately severe hearing loss
- Intervention
- Over-the-counter hearing aids
- Comparator
- Outcomes compared across hearing loss severity levels (mild to moderately severe)
Primary outcomes
Hearing aid effectiveness outcomes in aging populations; Performance across mild to moderately severe hearing loss severity