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Notice to Prospective Users
Good health practice requires that a person
with a hearing loss have a medical exam
by a licensed physician, who specializes in
diseases of the ear, before purchasing a
hearing instrument.
Licensed physicians who specialize in the
diseases of the ear are often referred to as
Otologists, Otolaryngologists (ear, nose and
throat – ENT) or Otorhinolaryngologists.
The purpose of a medical evaluation is
to assure that all medically treatable
conditions that may affect hearing are
identified and treated before the hearing
instrument is purchased. Following the
medical evaluation, the physician will give
you a written statement that your hearing
loss has been medically evaluated and that
you may be considered a candidate for a
hearing instrument.
A hearing specialist will conduct an
evaluation to assess your ability to hear.
The hearing instrument evaluation will
enable the hearing specialist to select and
fit a hearing instrument to your individual
needs. Federal law restricts the sale of
hearing instruments to those individuals
who have obtained a medical evaluation
from a licensed physician.
Federal law allows a fully informed adult
to sign a waiver statement declining the
medical evaluation for religious or personal
beliefs that preclude consultation with a
physician. The exercise of such a waiver is
not in your best interest, and its use is
strongly discouraged.
Notice for Hearing Healthcare Providers
Hearing healthcare providers should advise
a prospective hearing instrument user to
consult promptly with a licensed physician
(preferably an ear specialist) before
dispensing a hearing instrument if the
hearing healthcare provider determines
through inquiry, actual observation, or
review of any other available information,
that the prospective user has any of the
following conditions:
■
Visible congenital or traumatic deformity
of the ear.
■
History of active drainage from the ear
within the previous 90 days.
■
History of sudden or rapidly progressive
hearing loss within the previous 90 days.
■
Acute or chronic dizziness.
■
Unilateral hearing loss of sudden or
recent onset within the previous 90 days.
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