Hearing aids play an essential role in preserving your hearing health and correcting hearing loss. They are designed to bring back comfort in all situations, whether social or professional. Therefore, the last thing you want is to deal will ill-fitting hearing aids.
Ill-fitted hearing aids are a cause of discomfort, which can affect your hearing abilities and your ears. This can happen at any time, whether you are wearing brand new hearing aids or have been using the same hearing instruments for an extended period of time. Typically, your audiologist can help identify the source of the problem and sort it out effectively.
What Does it Mean to Wear Ill-Fitting Hearing Aids?
There could be many ways in which your hearing aids cause discomfort.
Audiologists often recommend “breaking in” hearing aids by wearing them for a few hours every day for a week or two to get used to them. Think of it as wearing a brand-new pair of shoes. You are likely to experience discomfort if you wear them for 12 hours on the first day. The same principle applies to new hearing aids. It doesn’t mean your hearing aids are ill-fitting.
Secondly, another situation for fitting issues could refer to the hearing correction. Adjusting to hearing aids isn’t easy, but it can be done!Your hearing aid could lead to pain if the volume emitted is too loud. This could be the case for self-adjustable hearing aids. You may have accidentally changed the adjustment while fiddling with the instruments or using the separate application on your smartphone. The discomfort is physical too, but thankfully, it can be easy to sort out.
Thirdly, you face issues when you try to physically fit the hearing aid inside your ear. Perhaps the fitting seems too tight for your ear, or you are unsure how to place it properly. This could lead to irritation and soreness. Your audiologist will ensure your hearing aid fits properly.
Finally, your hearing aid is damaged. This tends to happen for older instruments, which can develop physical or technical faults over time, leading to discomfort.
Are you unsure whether your hearing aid is ill-fitted? The following signs will help you spot any issues.
You Find it Hard to Hear Comfortably
There’s a reason why you should never buy hearing aids without a proper hearing test: Your audiologist will need to assess the level of correction you require. This will determine the volume inside your ear.
If you are new to wearing hearing aids, your audiologist may recommend waiting a few days. The problem can go away once you get used to wearing hearing instruments. If the problem doesn’t disappear by itself, the audiologist will help set the appropriate volume.
- The volume is too high: The high volume will cause further hearing loss and lead to pain inside the ear in the long term.
- The volume is too low: You may experience fatigue as you are constantly straining to hear and follow conversations.
You are Experiencing Physical Discomfort
Wearing a new hearing aid will typically involve an adjustment period, but this shouldn’t make anything uncomfortable. Yet, if you are noticing discomfort after “breaking in” the hearing aid, there may be different causes, so it’s important to follow up with your audiologist.
The shape of the hearing aid may not fit smoothly inside your ear or your ear canal. This can happen for in-the-ear (ITE) hearing instruments and in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids. You may also face fitting issues if you are a new wearer of invisible-in-canal (IIC) and completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids. The hearing aid is designed to fit tightly inside your ear. So, if you have pulled it slightly to prevent tightness, it could sit awkwardly and lead to irritation.
Additionally, the fitting may not be right for your ear shape. Your audiologist can help by taking a new mold of your ear and advising on different models or shapes.
There’s a whistling sound
If the hearing aid is too loose inside your ear, it could emit a sound, which can cause a constant whistling. Your audiologist can help by taking a new impression of your ear.
A damaged hearing aid could also experience malfunctions, which can be the cause of the whistling sound. You can sometimes notice cracks on the surface, but these aren’t always visible. Make sure that your hearing aid battery is not the source of your problems, though! Modern hearing instruments can be recharged. For others, you may need to reach out to your audiologist to get the battery checked and replaced. All damage to the instrument can be reviewed and fixed after an appointment with a professional audiologist.
If you need additional support with your hearing aids, we strongly recommend getting in touch with a trusted audiologist at Hearing Solutions Louisiana. Call us at (337) 607-0630 to book your appointment.
