Do I Need Two Hearing Aids?

Patient question:

As an audiologist I frequently get asked questions and I’d like to share the questions and answers in the hopes it touches on subjects you have been wondering about.

I was recently asked:

“Do I really need two hearing aids?  Should I just buy one good aid?”

Answer:

If you are diagnosed with a hearing loss in both ears it is normally best to have two hearing aids. The reason is, our brain works best with two ears. We understand speech better, it gives us better sound localization (where sound comes from) and we do not need as much amplification to the ears.  Ears are similar to eyes. We would never ask our optometrist to only put a prescription in one lens. The reason, we see better with two eyes, it gives us a fuller picture.  The same holds true with ears. Our brain works better when both ears are aided.

There are occasions when only one hearing aid is recommended due to the type of loss but generally two is better than one.

When two aids are recommended, I usually advise my patients “it is better to buy two cheaper aids then one expensive aid.” People just do that much better with two ears aided. 

That being said, if only one aid is in your budget, get one aid. You will still be much better off than no hearing aid.