It’s a micrphone, speaker, amplifier and battery. Once upon a time it was an impressive bit of technology to fit it in your ear canal, but not anymore. There is no reason why it should cost thousands of dollars.
Sure there are (reasons). Lobbyists have Millions of reasons...
I agree.
In all seriousness, “presbyaccusis” is age related hearing loss. “Presbyopia” is age related loss of near vision due to hardening of the lense (or more specifically lose of compliance). No reason these cheap amplifiers couldn’t be sold at WalMart right next to the cheap reading glasses. Except, of course, the protection on the monopoly the industry enjoys.
I’ve got some expensive ones ($5000 out of pocket since Ins doesn’t cover hearing loss help) but there are cheap OTC ones available. I have some.
I’ve pondered how hearing loss is made fun of without any thought to offending anyone. It’s just another form of racism, but is socially acceptable.
My husband wasted $3,000 many years ago on a hearing aid and then another $500 on another one about 15 years after he bought the first one, because he stopped wearing them. I am tired of having to yell at him and keep tell him to wear his f******g hearing aid
A SADISTIC ENT cost me half my low frequency hearing, so I now wear twin hearing aids, and they are expensive even at the simple end model. $3,400 for the pair, and batteries are very expensive and they last less than 4 days, you can’t sleep in them, so that means NO Hearing at night for thugs trying to break into your home; the only thing Medicare/Tricare Life covers is the ear wax removal or the frequent ear infections the stupid things cause.
BTW DOGS LOVE TO EAT HEARING AIDS.
Hubby’s hearing loss is Flight Deck caused 20 yrs Navy, Ret. SCPO. His are covered under VA disability and cost $5K, better quality than we can afford for me. But they provide him batteries and ear wax traps. Dog has already chewed up 1 as they are the kind that you push out of your ear, and the least little pressure on the back of the ear does that and you don’t notice it’s gone easily.
Trying to watch TV with two divergent hearing losses is not easy.
Those are essentially sound processing graphic equalizers tunable to the individual's needs and programmed to function in various difficult listening situations.
These levels of technology are/can be expensive and the programming didn't come cheap for the manufacturers either, so you generally get what you pay for.
They also require a good audiologist to properly fit and then program them to your needs, too.
Unfortunately, whatever damage one has is the limitation to overcome and technology can only get you so far depending on your actual damage.
If your ear is actually a blown microphone, technology can help, but don't expect normal, perfect hearing with an aid, no matter how much tech is inside or how much it cost.
They've come a long way, and hearing aids can give back some to most of what you've been missing, but it's far better to not lose it to begin with.
I wish I had not been so incredibly stupid with my ears and hearing and regret having lost far more than hearing as a result.
I'm a sociable person living in self-imposed isolation because I can't understand what is being said to me with my "guess-a-matic" hearing.
I even walk the dogs later at night so there's less chance of running into, but then not being able to understand, my neighbors. When that happens all I can do is smile, nod and wave in clueless frustration. Even a trip to the grocery store can be embarrassingly frustrating.
Fwiw, I'm waiting on my hearing aids to come back from the repair shop.
I currently have Starkey IICs and BTEs and, of all I've tried so far, I like them the best.
I also have some Siemens IICs, but the way they noise cancel harmful, loud sounds is dangerously confusing and I had to put them away in the drawer.
Whatever hearing loss you're dealing with, may you find the help you need to restore what's missing.