It’s 2025 – meaning you have a 25-year head start on addressing your hearing loss with professional treatment solutions.
Hearing loss is set to become more and more prevalent within the next two decades, and if you’re here, then you must be ready to find out your best options for optimizing your hearing health.
There are a few key factors to consider in your choice, including whether you’d like a hands-on approach to your care or a fix you can put together yourself at home and whether you’re looking for a personalized treatment plan or not.
After weighing your options, it can be difficult to know where to turn for the best choice for your specific needs. Look no further: here are your best options for addressing your hearing challenges in 2025.
The Difference Between Hearing Technology and Hearing Care
Many individuals seek out hearing aids as their one-stop solution to their hearing challenges, but as many of our previous patients will tell you, great technology is just one piece of the puzzle.
What Are My Options to Address a Hearing Challenge in 2025?
From at-home solutions to a handpicked treatment plan by an expert’s hand, here are some options you can utilize to help address your hearing health challenges in 2025:
1 - Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs)
PSAPs work as general amplifiers of sound, akin to how a magnifying glass magnifies any and all objects within the lens. For a general bump to the volume of all noise, they can be a quick option for those who need it.
However, they amplify all sound – including the sound you don’t want to hear as much. As a result, if your hearing challenges are more intricate, a PSAP may not be the best choice, as it could amplify background noise that you don’t want to listen to.
2 - Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids
Federally authorized in 2022, over-the-counter hearing aids became an accessible option for those seeking hearing aids without the means to look into premium prescription options. They’re readily available in most drugstores and can provide a boost to your hearing at a budget investment.
We’d equate these to “readers” from the store – good for some situations but not all. As over-the-counter hearing aids aren’t prescribed to your specific hearing challenges, they can prove to be a little too generic for some people in need of a more personalized solution.
3 - Apple AirPods Pro 2 – Hearing Aid Features
4 - Costco/Big Box Store Hearing Aids
Costco has long been dispensing hearing aids, and their Kirkland-branded devices are given out in-store after a pure-tone audiometry test. They’re fast, accessible, and, with a Costco membership, readily available.
But Costco is, first and foremost, a retailer; wait times for follow-up care or replacement/repairs for your devices could leave you waiting for weeks without care.
While Costco’s devices do come equipped after a hearing test, they don’t examine your ears for potential causes of hearing loss outside of not hearing the tones in the test (earwax buildup, tinnitus, auditory processing disorder...).