If you have hearing loss in both ears, then you are most likely a candidate for two hearing aids. Similar to the way refractory problems in both eyes are treated with a pair of glasses, it makes sense that bilateral hearing loss should be treated with two hearing aids.  Here are just a few reasons why.

  • Better understanding of speech. By wearing two hearing aids rather than one, your brain can more easily focus on the conversation you want to hear.  This is particularly true in noisy situations.
  • Wider hearing range. A person can hear sounds from a further distance with two ears, rather than one. A voice that’s barely heard at 10 feet with one ear can be heard up to 40 feet with two ears.
  • Better localization. With binaural hearing, you will better detect where sounds are coming from in every situation.
  • Similar to having a lazy eye, you can develop a lazy ear. Research has shown that when only one hearing aid is worn, the unaided ear tends to lose its speech understanding ability. This is clinically called the auditory deprivation effect. Wearing two hearing aids keeps both ears active.
  • Tinnitus Masking. About 50% of people with ringing in their ears report improvement when wearing hearing aids. If a person with tinnitus wears a hearing aid in only one ear, there will still be ringing in the ear that does not have a hearing aid.

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