Hearing Aids

• Lexie Hearing

• Go Hearing

• Sony

Over the Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids are a new category of hearing aids that consumers without the need of a prescription. These hearing aids are designed to help adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

It’s recommended to wear both hearing aids to ensure better sound quality. This also helps better you identify where sounds are coming from.

If you are a first-time wearer, it can take some time to get used to the hearing aids. How quickly you adjust often depends on how frequently you wear them. It’s recommended that you start wearing your hearing aids 1 to 2 hours per day in a relatively quiet environment. After a few days, you can start to expose yourself to more sounds and noises and increase the wearing time week by week. At the beginning (first 4 weeks) you might notice an increase in the noise levels around you. Background noise and unfamiliar sounds may seem too loud. This will improve over time the more you wear your hearing aids. Voices and the television may be clearer. You may hear the internal workings of the hearing aid and your own voice may also sound quite loud and hollow, this is normal. Between weeks 5 and 8 you should start growing accustomed to your hearing aids.

Always consult with hearing aid instructions on the best way to clean. Generally, to prevent your device from getting clogged with wax, you should clean it daily. Remove earwax from the exterior shell with the included brush or a damp cloth. The microphone and receiver are both delicate parts of the aid and should be cleaned carefully with the included brush, angling the device down, so debris falls out rather than farther in. Using an in-ear device regularly can increase wax buildup, so you should have your ears checked every 3 to 6 months.

• It is important to wear your devices regularly, as well as clean them on a regular basis.

• Do not use hairspray, spray paint, or other sticky sprays when using the devices.

• Keep the hearing aid away from direct sunlight or moisture and water. Store the hearing aids in the charging case or carrying case while not in use.

• Avoid any physical shock (e.g. dropping) to the hearing aids.

• For optimal performance, use a dehumidifier or drying capsules on a daily basis to remove moisture from the devices, as directed by the manufacturer

• Store your hearing aids where they can easily be found, but safely out of reach of pets

  and children.

We recommend that you replace the dome with a new one of similar size and shape approximately every 3 months to ensure that the hearing aid performs optimally.

No, a test is not needed, but OTC Hearing Aids are designed to help adults with mild to moderate hearing loss only, and it is always recommended that you consult with your provider if you believe you have hearing issues.

Each of the OTC Hearing Aid models that CVS offers provides 1 of 2 manners for settings to be adjusted to satisfy an individual’s needs. OTC models that do not connect to a smartphone will use manually selected modes that utilize different listening programs to amplify the frequencies most commonly associated with mild to moderate hearing loss. CVS also offers hearing aids that pair with smartphone Apps for much greater control of these specific frequencies, allowing for a more customized experience.

It often takes 2-3 weeks to get used to a hearing aid, and initial difficulties are not uncommon. We recommend that if you are indeed having issues that you contact the Manufacturer of your hearing aid directly, as they have product consultants who can take you through any trouble-shooting that is needed. You should always consult with your provider with any health questions. CVS does offer a 60-day return policy, should a customer be unsatisfied with their purchase. Visit CVS.com’s Return Policy for more details, hearing aid products can be returned opened and used.

CVS has crafted a full suite of OTC Hearing Aids available in stores and online. These products vary widely in price, features and design, so it is important to understand what features, design and benefits are most important to you.