Approximately 15% of American adults over the age of 18 state they have some trouble hearing, and about one-third of the people in the U.S. between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing loss. Nearly half of those greater than 75 years old have difficulty hearing (Table 1).¹

This isn’t just a hearing issue; studies tie untreated hearing loss with other serious health problems, including depression, a decline in memory and concentration, and dementia.^2,3

Until 2022, the process to get a hearing aid was through an audiologist. But in October 2022, over-the-counter hearing aids from manufacturers like Eargo and Bose that were targeted towards patients with mild to moderate hearing loss were launched through pharmacies and online at substantially reduced prices.⁴

Understanding Hearing Aids

When hair cells in the inner ear are dead, hearing loss occurs.⁵ Hearing aids can improve a patient’s ability to hear by causing sounds to be louder and/or easier to understand.

Most hearing aids have three components: a microphone to capture the sound, an amplifier to broadcast the sound and make it louder, and a receiver that transmits the sound into the ear canal. In cutting-edge digital hearing aids, microphones send the sound to a computer chip, which regulates the volume and amplifies sound frequencies needed to improve the patient’s hearing. 

A hearing professional programs the digital hearing aid to filter out the sound of the wind and background noise and fine-tunes it to correspond with the patient’s specific hearing loss type. Digital hearing aids can sync wirelessly with a smartphone, letting patients take calls on their smartphones, listen to audio, and adjust the hearing aid’s settings using an app.

The right hearing aid for each patient depends on several factors, including insurance, the type and severity of hearing loss, lifestyle, and manual dexterity. 

Types of Hearing Aids⁶

Mini, Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aid—This type goes by multiple names, such as receiver-in-the-ear (RITE), receiver-in-the-aid (RITA), receiver-in-the-canal (RIC), and canal receiver technology (CRT). The receiver is the amplifier that sends sound to the inner ear. In this design, it is positioned inside the ear canal. 

Traditional Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aid (BTE)—With this type of hearing aid, all electronic parts are in a plastic casing worn behind the ear. Sound is broadcast to the ear through a wire that joins the casing to the receiver and a customized earmold is worn in the ear canal.

Completely-in-the-Canal Hearing Aid (CIC)—This design is placed into the ear canal where it fits deep and snug. Because it’s in the ear canal, it has low visibility. It has a small battery, so battery life is somewhat short. Since the battery is small, it can be difficult to insert and remove. 

In-the-Canal Hearing Aid (ITC)—Like the CIC, the ITC is barely visible, and larger units may include directional microphones. The battery is small, so battery life is relatively short. 

Which Features Are Important?

In a Consumer Reports survey, the most important feature cited among patients who wear hearing aids when they purchased their current model was smartphone compatibility—the ability to adjust hearing aids from a smartphone. Other important features included rechargeable batteries, wireless connectivity to other devices (such as a music player or TV), and automatic adjustments to a room’s noise level (Table 2).⁶

The Consumer Reports article also mentions additional features that can help hearing aid users.⁶

Telecoil—A telecoil is a small sensor in the hearing aid. It wirelessly responds to magnetic signals from hearing-aid-compatible telephones and public address systems that may be in conference rooms, museums, taxis, or concert halls and changes that energy into sound. This feature helps patients with moderate to profound hearing loss better understand an announcement by making it louder and eliminating the majority of background noise.

Directional Microphone—Directional microphones assist patients when they are conversing in loud environments by making the audio signal in front of the patient louder than the noise from other directions. Most hearing aids with this feature can switch automatically between directional settings, depending on the situation. 

Feedback Suppression—Digital feedback reduction helps suppress high-pitched whistling sounds. Most hearing aids include this feature, but its effectiveness differs from brand to brand. It minimizes feedback when the patient is on the telephone or in other feedback-causing situations.

Digital Noise Reduction—This feature improves patient comfort and communication in noisy environments by blocking some background noise. While not perfect, it makes it easier to hear and understand speech.

The Medi-Vantage Perspective

The hearing aid world is being disrupted. While at the time of the Consumer Reports survey significantly more users indicated going with a prescription hearing aid rather than an OTC model (most likely due to lack of availability at the time it was conducted), don’t expect that to continue to be the norm. The new OTC hearing aids are all first-generation devices and these new players want a bite of the rapidly growing market (Table 3).

As such, if you’re a manufacturer of traditional hearing aids, add some features that address unmet needs in the hearing aid market. I conducted my own non-scientific poll at a recent family reunion and the two main pieces of feedback I received were: too expensive and too much background noise. Capture unmet needs to retain your market share so you can emerge triumphant in what is sure to be a bare-knuckles fight in this important market. Figure out how to reduce cost and middlemen in your market to prepare for the price war that is surely coming. You may also want to launch your own brand of OTC devices for U.S. patients as soon as you can.

References

¹ tinyurl.com/mpo241101

² tinyurl.com/mpo241102

³ tinyurl.com/mpo241103

⁴ tinyurl.com/mpo241104

⁵ tinyurl.com/mpo241105

⁶ tinyurl.com/mpo241106

⁷ tinyurl.com/mpo241107

Maria Shepherd has more than 20 years of experience in marketing in small startups and top-tier companies. She founded Medi-Vantage, which provides marketing and business strategy for the medtech industry. She can be reached at mshepherd@medi-vantage.com. Visit her website at www.medi-vantage.com.