As of 2021, there were 166.5 million US adults wearing prescription eyeglasses. If you wear glasses and have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, you might be wondering how to wear the two together.
Choosing Your Hearing Aid Model
The good news is that it is possible to wear any style of hearing aid with glasses. Some might just take a bit more of an adjustment than others. For example, hearing aids like inside-the-ear (ITE) and completely-in-canal (CIC) models don’t sit behind the ear and therefore aren’t affected by wearing glasses. Whereas behind-the-ear (BTE) and receiver-in-ear (RIC) styles do have at least part of the device on the ear and can take some getting used to if you also wear glasses.
While this may seem as though it would benefit all glasses-wearers to choose hearing aids that go in the ear canal as opposed to behind the ear, many factors go into selecting the right hearing aid for you. These include your degree of hearing loss, personal style preferences and comfort.
Behind-the-ear models are a popular choice largely because they are effective for people with moderate to severe hearing loss. They are also very comfortable, especially for people who don’t like having anything in their ear canals.
Wearing Eyeglasses With Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids
If you decide a BTE hearing aid is the best choice for you, follow these tips for wearing them with your glasses:
- Choose glasses with thin wire earpieces to allow for more space
- Always put your glasses on before your hearing aids
- Carefully place the hearing aid between the glasses earpiece and the outer ear
- Adjust both until they are comfortable and make sure your hearing aid isn’t hanging away from the outer ear
- Remove your glasses in a straight-forward motion, as tilting them will knock off your hearing aids
Be patient and know that this may take a while to perfect. Practice in front of the mirror at home to help get the movements right.
Don’t Put Off Hearing Loss Treatment
Whatever choice you make regarding the hearing aid you use, make sure not to avoid them altogether because you’re worried about them interfering with your eyeglasses. Just like your vision, your hearing health is immensely important. Hearing aids keep you connected with others and help you follow what’s going on whether at work or out for coffee with friends at Protagonist Café.
If you’re having any trouble adjusting to wearing your device or need additional hearing-related help, call the experts at Center for Hearing & Speech today.
