When considering an over-the-counter hearing aid (OTC), a rabbit hole awaits. It’s not obvious that there are two categories of OTCs: pre-set and self-fitting. The pre-set ones are just that; they are pre-set. Your hearing sensitivity levels are not considered.

Self-fitting hearing aids may or may not incorporate your hearing thresholds into the fitting process. (Just because it is “self-fitting” doesn’t mean that hearing thresholds are used to determine the hearing aid settings.)

My advice: make sure you pick a self-fitting over-the-counter hearing aid, and make sure you pick one that incorporates your hearing thresholds. If you are unsure about which OTC to purchase, see a hearing care professional first.

See a hearing care professional first if you have never had a hearing test.

If you don’t have access to a hearing care professional for a hearing test, you can use online apps such as hearWHO and Mimi. Keep in mind online tests may be designed primarily to initially program hearing aids and not as a diagnostic evaluation to identify hearing or otologic disorders. If the results show a difference between your ears, please see a hearing care professional! Your ears deserve it! And so do you.