Federal law restricts the sale of hearing
aids to those individuals who have
obtained a medical evaluation from a
licensed physician. Federal law permits a
fully informed adult to sign a waiver
statement declining the medical evalua-
tion for religious or personal beliefs that
preclude consultation with a physician.
The exercise of such a waiver is not in your
best health interest and its use is strongly
discouraged.
Children with Hearing Loss:
In addi-
tion to seeing a physician for a medical
evaluation, a child with a hearing loss
should be directed to an audiologist for
evaluation and rehabilitation since hear-
ing loss may cause problems in language
development and the educational and
social growth of a child. An audiologist is
qualified by training and experience to
assist in the evaluation and rehabilitation
of a child with a hearing loss.
Warning to Hearing Aid Dispensers:
A hearing aid dispenser should advise a
prospective hearing aid user to consult
promptly with a licensed physician
(preferably an ear specialist) before dis-
pensing a hearing aid if the hearing aid
dispenser determines through inquiry,
actual observation, or review of any other
available information concerning the
prospective user, that the prospective user
has any of the following conditions:
Warning Signs:
1. Visible congenital or traumatic
deformity of the ear.
2. History of active drainage from the
ear within the previous 90 days.
3. History of sudden or rapidly
progressive hearing loss within the
previous 90 days.
4. Acute or chronic dizziness.
5. Unilateral hearing loss of sudden or
recent onset within the previous 90
days.
6. Audiometric air-bone gap equal to
or greater than 15 decibels at 500
Hz, 1,000 Hz and 2,000 Hz.
7. Visible evidence of significant
cerumen accumulation or a foreign
body in the ear canal.
8. Pain or discomfort in the ear.
NOTE: Special care should be exercised in
selecting and fitting a hearing aid whose
maximum sound pressure level exceeds
132 decibels because there may be a risk
of impairing the remaining hearing of the
hearing aid user.
Hearing with Your New Amplification:
The world will seem noisier at first, but in
time, you should become accustomed to
your new listening experiences, learn to
hear speech more clearly, and enjoy many
of the special sounds you may have been
missing. Obtaining maximum benefit
from your new hearing aid(s) requires
effort and practice on your part. Your new
hearing aid(s) will not restore normal
hearing and will not prevent or improve
hearing impairment resulting from organ-
ic conditions. In most cases, infrequent
use of the hearing aid(s) will not permit
you to obtain full benefit from it. Follow
the program recommended by your hear-
ing professional. The use of your hearing
instrument(s) is only part of your hearing
rehabilitation, and you may need supple-
mental auditory training and instructions
in lipreading.
