How hearing aids work
Your hearing aids have been programmed to meet your individual hearing needs. When you remove your hearing aids, you might feel your natural hearing is muffled, but that’s just because you’ve become more used to hearing things clearly with them in. If you wear them a little everyday, you’ll soon get used to having them in your ears – even if it does take a week or two. To get maximum benefits from your aids, please read the manufacturers guide that comes with them. Following your hearing aid fitting, you’ll get a follow up appointment, so it’s useful to take down any experiences you’ve had adjusting to them. And remember, at Specsavers, aftercare is free. So any time you have a problem, contact us and we’ll put it right.
How to insert your hearing aids
Different hearing aids have different insertion techniques, but you’ll be shown how yours fit in store. Your hearing aids come with coloured tabs printed on them: red goes in your right ear and blue goes in your left. If your hearing aids aren’t inserted properly, they might not help your hearing as much as they could – and they might cause a little discomfort and some feedback. But if your aids are uncomfortable despite being fitted properly, contact your Specsavers hearing care professional – they may be able to make the ear moulds more comfortable for you. And if your aids are inserted properly and you can still hear feedback, check our troubleshooting guide for possible causes and ways to fix them.
Getting the best from your hearing aids
Start with quieter, more familiar situations – like conversation with one person or listening to the radio – then move onto more challenging ones. When you start holding conversations with multiple people, or going to busy, outdoors environments, you might find new noises daunting or hard to follow. This will change as your brain adapts to the increase in noise. Make sure you understand your hearing aid’s settings and programmes so you can tweak them to achieve the best possible results. And remember, your Specsavers hearing care professional is always happy to help you, so if you want any advice, or have any questions, just ask.
Changing your hearing aid batteries
You will need to change your hearing aid batteries regularly – most hearing aids will beep when the batteries are running low. Your hearing care professional will show you how to change the batteries. It’s quite simple, but please make sure you’re happy with how to do it and ask if you have any questions. It’s recommended to have spare batteries to hand, and remember to always turn your hearing aids off when not in use, as this will help extend the battery life.
Using hearing loop systems
Hearing loop systems are installed in busy or difficult listening situations, like cinemas and public buildings, to help you hear more clearly. Modern hearing aids are designed to pick up sound from loop systems and some telephones also have an available loop service. Remember, when out of range from a loop service, to turn your hearing aids back to a normal programme mode.
Cleaning and maintaining your hearing aids
Your hearing aids will benefit from regular cleaning. Your Specsavers hearing care professional will show you how to clean your hearing aids, but there are a few simple rules to remember, so make sure you’re comfortable with them. If you have any questions about cleaning your hearing aids, your Specsavers hearing care professional is always available to explain it to you.
Troubleshooting
Your hearing instruments are extremely reliable devices, and in the event of a problem, can usually be quickly corrected. The troubleshooting tips in your ‘Getting the best from your hearing aids’ brochure should help you to resolve simple issues, but remember that your Specsavers hearing care professional will always be happy to help if you have any further problems. If you are experiencing a problem not covered by the troubleshooting tips in your ‘Getting the best from your hearing aids’ brochure, return your hearing aids to your local Specsavers Hearing Centre for repairs, replacement parts, or adjustments.