It’s often easy to compare hearing aids to eyeglasses. After all, they are both worn on our bodies, and both compensate for sensory loss and improve the hearing/vision signals to the brain. But there’s still a big difference between the two.
Vision problems are essentially physical, whereas most hearing problems are related to the auditory nerve. This is why in most cases we can “correct” vision, but need to “treat” hearing loss, and hearing loss “rehabilitation” is much more “problematic” than vision. Hearing loss “rehabilitation” is also much more “problematic” than vision.
Many people also find it hard to understand the price of hearing aids, so small a pair, more expensive than the usual glasses.
In fact, it is mainly “expensive” in these areas:
Hearing aids have always been a very expensive and costly thing since the day they were invented.
The world’s first hearing aids were very, very expensive at the time they were created, costing between $62 and $159 a piece, and they were hardly technical at that time, but they were expensive. Now a hearing aid can cost anywhere from a thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars.
The cost of high-tech digital technology.
Generally the more advanced the features, the more expensive the hearing aid. Less expensive hearing aids want to hear clearly, but the only way to hear clearly is to turn up the volume, but the sound becomes muddy and uncontrollable. Today, all hearing aids use digital software that allows them to filter out unwanted background noise and boost speech and desired ambient sounds. The high cost of digitalization results in quality listening.
Cost of customization.
Unlike consumer electronics such as cell phones, watches, and computers, many hearing aids are customized to ensure that they compensate for your specific hearing problems, meet your comfort preferences, and fit the shape of your ear.
The cost of research and development.
A large portion of the cost on the price of hearing aids goes to the research and development team, which uses state-of-the-art equipment and resources so that hearing aids can be made smarter, safer, and more wearable.
The truth is that buying a hearing aid is not the same as buying a new smartphone or laptop, because any medical device that can change your daily life requires a multi-step process of purchase and maintenance.
The most practical and money-saving point for the wearer is not the hearing aid itself, but the freedom to schedule an unlimited amount of after-sales service to have your hearing aid troubleshot and fine-tuned by an audiologist.
And so, while it may seem like, for example, a $5,000 hearing aid sells for a lot of money, if it’s 8-year life expectancy, minus the disability benefit, it means that you’re investing in a higher quality of life for yourself for only about $1 a day.
Before purchasing a hearing aid, be sure to ask your hearing aid professional about all the services associated with it. They will be happy to explain all of their product details and services so you can see where your money is being spent.
