It hasn’t been very long since a hearing aid was prescribed only by an audiologist. That changed with time when OTC hearing aids were introduced in 2017. People who have mild to moderate hearing impairment can now purchase certain types of hearing aids online without a prescription in the US.
One of the newest types of OTC hearing aids is by Audien, known as the Audien Atom Pro. The Atom Pro hearing aid fits inside the ear canal almost completely. It doesn’t look aesthetically unpleasing either. You will not be able to see the aid or the minute removal wire unless someone looks inside your ear. Moreover, the Atom Pro is also affordable and interchangeable. According to Auden, the hearing aid can hold up to 4 days of charging. However, Auden suggests that the earbud domes and wax are replaced once a week depending on the wax buildup.
Testing and Aid Adjustment
Other than the vast difference in cost, a major characteristic is the hearing aid and hearing testing adjustment. When prescription hearing aids are purchased, an audiologist tests your hearing and the settings of the device. However, with an OTC hearing device, you can just run online tone recognition. Furthermore, in some cases, the OTC hearing device adjusts on its own based on the patient’s hearing profile.
Atom Pro is different from most of the OTC hearing devices that have been in the market. You don’t have to test the device and only adjust it with a small volume screw on the outer surface of the Atom Pro.
What is recommended?
It is recommended that users wear Atom Pro for just some hours and increase the wear time gradually while the brain gets used to amplified sounds.
User Bruce Brown said,
“In my limited experience, I found the Atom Pro hearing aids were reasonably comfortable to wear. There was less sound differentiation than I’ve experienced with professionally tuned hearing aids or with more advanced (hence more expensive) OTC hearing aids, However, the Atom Pro amplifies sound in a manner that sounded crisp and clear to me and seemed to favor voice more than just broad range amplification.”
