A preset hearing aid is commonly referred to as a "sound amplifier" or "listening assistant" while a hearing aid adjusted by the audioprosthesist to the patient's audiometric curve is commonly referred to as a "hearing aid" or "hearing prosthesis". What do these two types of hearing aids really have in common and what are the differences ?
• Common point : their nature
Preset or custom-made, a hearing aid is, by nature, a sound amplifier ! Indeed, as we mentioned earlier, when the hair cells of the ear are destroyed, they do not grow back and the only solution available to the hearing impaired person is a hearing aid. To date, hearing aids do not integrate any artificial intelligence and do not make the destroyed hair cells grow back : whatever its price, the hearing aid is an imperfect acoustic solution (you will never regain the hearing of your younger years, hence the interest in taking care of your hearing system), which amplifies sounds on different frequencies.
• Common point : their name
The French National Agency for Health and Medicines (ANSM) specifies that terms such as "listening assistant", "sound amplifier", "hearing device", "hearing aid" or "external hearing aid" do not describe the purpose of the product and do not interfere in its regulatory status. Preset or not, sold online or at a hearing care professional, a "sound amplifier" is therefore a "hearing aid" or even a "hearing device".
• Common point : their pre-configuration
All hearing aids, whether or not they are preset, have a certain number of frequency channels pre-configured by the manufacturer, on which the intrinsic automatisms of the hearing aid are based. In the case of a hearing aid such as AZUR or ORISON, the pre-configuration was carried out beforehand by ENT doctors, in order to compensate for the frequencies damaged by the natural ageing of the ear (presbycusis). In the case of a hearing aid marketed by a hearing care professional, certain frequency channels (3, 6, 9 or more) are left free to the seller, in order to adjust the settings on the patient's audiogram.
• Common points : their technical characteristics and electronic components
Number of frequency channels, HD digital processor, smart sound processing system, ambient noise reduction : AZUR and ORISON hearing aids have similar technical features to much more expensive hearing aids. They also have the CE standard, a guarantee of quality in a market where the offer starts at less than 10€ and goes up to more than 5,000€.
• Difference : the people they are intended for
Pre-configured hearing aids, such as AZUR and ORISON, are intended exclusively for presbycousis, i.e. people who, over time, experience daily, occasional or continuous hearing discomfort, particularly in noisy environments or in front of the television. These people need a hearing aid that is easy to use, with fine tuning to the affected frequencies, as well as a consequent reduction of ambient noise, to regain immediate listening comfort. A person with a severe hearing disability (who speaks sign language and/or lip-reading) will not feel any difference wearing AZUR or ORISON : he or she needs much more amplification on an atypical audiogram as well as regular follow-up over time to adapt to the hearing aid but also to adjust it to his or her feelings. Thus, if the pre-adjusted hearing aid is intended for individuals experiencing a simple hearing problem, the custom-made hearing aid is intended more for those who could not socialize without a hearing aid (90% of them are fitted).
• Difference : the price
In September 2015, UFC Que Choisir published a study entitled "Audioprothèses, un marché verrouillé au détriment des malentendants" (consultable here), in which it is underlined that the follow-up service, over 4 or 5 years, represents 40% of the total amount of the final price for traditional hearing aids. If this service is essential for a person with a severe hearing disability, it is not for a person with presbycusis : this same study underlines that few presbycusis users make use of their follow-up, for various reasons (they do not wear their hearing aid, they do not feel the need for follow-up, the hearing aid specialist has closed down, the user is deceased, etc.). A pre-adjusted hearing aid such as the AZUR or ORISON is sold without a follow-up service, betting on the perfect autonomy of the user.
• Difference : the setting
While a preset hearing aid has a setting specifically designed to compensate for presbycusis and is therefore suitable for millions of individuals in France and around the world, a custom-made hearing aid is, by definition, adjusted to the audiometric curve of the hearing impaired person fitted with the hearing aid and can therefore only be suitable for the latter.
• Difference : the distribution network
Available without a prescription, a pre-adjusted hearing aid can be sold everywhere (internet, pharmacists if the maximum amplification is limited to 20dB, opticians, department stores, electronics stores, paramedical stores, etc.). A custom-made hearing aid, on the other hand, can only be delivered on a medical prescription to be covered by the Social Security and can only be sold and adjusted by a hearing aid specialist.
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