If you have hearing loss, you may wonder whether wearing hearing aids can keep your hearing from getting worse. The answer is complicated. Hearing aids cannot prevent further hearing loss but keeping the auditory pathway active can help slow the decline of speech understanding.
Hearing aids amplify sounds and can make speech and everyday communication easier, but they do not repair the damaged parts of the ear that caused hearing loss. By keeping the auditory pathway active, hearing aids help maintain speech understanding.
Hearing aids provide meaningful hearing aid benefits, including better access to speech, easier communication, and improved participation in daily activities.
In this guide, we'll explain what hearing aids can and can't do for your hearing health.
Key Takeaways
Hearing aids cannot prevent further hearing loss or stop progressive hearing loss from its underlying cause.
Hearing aids amplify sounds to make communication easier, but they do not restore normal hearing or repair damaged parts of the ear.
Properly used hearing aids are designed to help manage hearing loss, not cause it.
Hearing protection, particularly around loud sounds, is important for preventing additional noise-related hearing damage.
If your hearing seems to be getting worse while you wear hearing aids, a hearing evaluation can help determine whether your hearing has changed or your devices need adjustment.
Sudden, rapidly worsening, fluctuating, or one-sided hearing loss should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
What Do Hearing Aids Actually Do?
Hearing aids are designed to help people with hearing loss hear sounds more clearly. They work by capturing sounds through microphones, processing those sounds, and delivering amplified sound into the ear.
According to the FDA, hearing aids can help people hear sounds they may not have previously heard, communicate more easily with family and friends, hear speech more clearly over the telephone, and communicate in challenging listening environments.
Some common hearing aid benefits include:
Making speech easier to hear
Improving communication with family and friends
Helping you hear conversations in different environments
Making telephone conversations easier
Providing access to sounds that may otherwise be difficult to hear
However, hearing aids have limitations. They do not restore normal hearing, and they may not make every listening situation easy.
Can Hearing Aids Stop Hearing Loss From Getting Worse?
Hearing aids can help you manage hearing loss, but they aren't designed to stop hearing loss from progressing.
Whether your hearing changes over time depends largely on the underlying cause. Potential causes include:
Aging
Long-term exposure to loud noise
Certain medications
Illnesses or medical conditions
Genetic factors
Problems affecting the outer, middle, or inner ear
For example, NIDCD explains that age-related hearing loss is associated with changes in the inner ear as people get older, while noise-induced hearing loss can result from exposure to loud sounds.
This is why wearing hearing aids doesn't necessarily mean your hearing will remain at exactly the same level over time.
Can Wearing Hearing Aids Make Hearing Loss Worse?
When used appropriately, hearing aids are designed to help manage hearing loss rather than make it worse.
Hearing aids are medical devices regulated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. However, like any medical device, they need to be used according to their instructions and appropriate settings.
If your hearing suddenly seems worse after using a hearing aid, don't simply assume the device has damaged your hearing. Several other explanations are possible, including:
Your hearing may have changed.
Your hearing aid may need adjustment.
The device may not be providing enough amplification for your current hearing needs.
Earwax or another ear problem may be affecting your hearing.
There may be another underlying medical cause.
The FDA recommends seeking medical evaluation for sudden, rapidly worsening, fluctuating, or one-sided hearing loss, as well as certain other symptoms such as ear pain, drainage, significant dizziness, or one-sided tinnitus.
Do Hearing Aids Protect Your Hearing?
No. Hearing aids and hearing protection serve different purposes.
Hearing aids are designed to help people with hearing loss hear sounds more effectively. Hearing protection is designed to reduce exposure to potentially damaging noise.
| Hearing Aids | Hearing Protection | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Help manage hearing loss | Reduce exposure to loud sounds |
| Amplifies sound | Yes | No |
| Designed to prevent noise damage | No | Yes |
| Examples | OTC and prescription hearing aids | Earplugs and protective earmuffs |
| Used by people with hearing loss | Yes | Yes, when exposed to loud environments |
If you're attending a concert, working around power equipment, mowing the lawn, or spending time in another loud environment, your hearing aids should not be considered a substitute for appropriate hearing protection.
NIDCD recommends avoiding loud sounds when possible, reducing the time spent around them, and using earplugs or protective earmuffs when loud noise cannot be avoided.
What Can I Do to Prevent My Hearing Loss From Getting Worse?
Although you can't prevent every type of hearing loss, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of additional damage.
Protect Your Ears From Loud Noise
Noise-induced hearing loss can develop gradually after repeated exposure to loud sounds, and extremely loud sounds can cause immediate and permanent hearing damage.
When you're around loud noise:
Move farther away from the sound source when possible.
Reduce the amount of time you spend around loud sounds.
Turn down the volume of personal audio devices.
Wear appropriate earplugs or protective earmuffs.
Give your ears breaks from loud environments.
Pay Attention to Volume Levels
Headphones and earbuds can expose your ears to loud sound for extended periods. Keeping listening levels at a comfortable volume and taking regular breaks can help reduce your exposure to potentially damaging sound.
Use Hearing Protection
Hearing protection can be especially important when you're around:
Construction equipment
Lawn and landscaping equipment
Fireworks
Concerts
Sporting events
Power tools
Loud machinery
NIDCD identifies many of these as potential sources of damaging noise.
Monitor Changes in Your Hearing
If conversations become increasingly difficult, you need to turn up the television more often, or your hearing aids no longer seem to provide the same benefit, consider having your hearing evaluated.
What If My Hearing Is Getting Worse While I Wear Hearing Aids?
If your hearing seems to be getting worse while you're wearing hearing aids, don't assume you simply need more volume.
Instead, consider scheduling a hearing evaluation. Your hearing professional can help determine whether:
Your hearing has changed.
Your hearing aids need adjustment.
Your devices are functioning properly.
Earwax or another ear problem is affecting your hearing.
Another medical condition may be contributing to the change.
Sudden Hearing Loss Requires Prompt Attention
A sudden change in hearing, particularly in one ear, should not be assumed to be a normal progression of hearing loss.
If your hearing suddenly decreases or changes significantly, seek prompt medical evaluation rather than waiting to see whether your hearing aids resolve the problem.
What Are the Benefits of Wearing Hearing Aids?
Although hearing aids don't prevent further hearing loss, they can provide important hearing aid benefits.
The FDA reports that hearing aids may help people:
Hear sounds they weren't previously able to hear
Communicate more easily with family and friends
Hear speech more clearly over the telephone
Communicate in noisy environments
Participate more fully in everyday activities
For adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, OTC hearing aids provide another option for accessing amplification.
When Should You Have Your Hearing Rechecked?
Consider having your hearing evaluated if:
Your hearing seems to be changing.
Conversations have become more difficult.
You frequently increase the television volume.
Your hearing aids no longer seem to provide enough benefit.
You develop new or worsening tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
You notice a difference between your ears.
You experience sudden or rapidly worsening hearing loss.
The FDA specifically identifies sudden, quickly worsening, fluctuating, or one-sided hearing loss as situations where medical evaluation is appropriate.
Protect Your Hearing While Managing Hearing Loss
Managing hearing loss isn't only about finding amplification that helps you hear more clearly. It's also about protecting the hearing you have and recognizing when your hearing needs may have changed.
If your hearing aids no longer seem to provide the same benefit, a hearing evaluation can help determine what's changed and whether your devices need adjustment.
For adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, MDHearing offers OTC hearing aids designed to make everyday listening more accessible, along with professional support to help you find an option that fits your needs.
You can explore MDHearing's hearing aids options or take the MDHearing online hearing test to learn more about your hearing and explore potential solutions.
EXPLORE MDHEARING MODELS
Frequently Asked Questions About Hearing Aids and Hearing Loss
Can hearing aids prevent further hearing loss?
No. Hearing aids are designed to help manage hearing loss by amplifying sounds, but they do not prevent the underlying cause of hearing loss from progressing.
Can wearing hearing aids make hearing loss worse?
Properly used hearing aids are designed to help manage hearing loss rather than cause it. If your hearing suddenly or noticeably worsens while using hearing aids, have your hearing and device evaluated rather than simply increasing the volume.
Do hearing aids protect your hearing?
No. Hearing aids are not a substitute for hearing protection. Earplugs and protective earmuffs help reduce exposure to potentially damaging noise.
Can hearing aids restore hearing?
No. Hearing aids amplify sound but do not restore normal hearing or repair damage to the ear.
What can I do to prevent further hearing loss?
Protect your ears from loud noise, limit the amount of time you spend around loud sounds, use appropriate hearing protection, keep listening volumes at comfortable levels, and have changes in your hearing evaluated.
Should I wear hearing aids if my hearing loss is getting worse?
Hearing aids can still help manage hearing loss even when your hearing changes over time. If your current devices no longer provide enough benefit, schedule a hearing evaluation to determine whether your hearing aids need adjustment or whether another solution is appropriate.
Does untreated hearing loss get worse faster?
Not necessarily. There is no simple rule that untreated hearing loss will progress faster solely because you aren't wearing hearing aids. The underlying cause of the hearing loss is a major factor.