Medical Design and Outsourcing A Mass Device Resource
August 28, 2015

First ‘Ear Wear’ for Active Adults Debuts with MDHearingAid FIT

If you’ve burned out your ears with earbuds, headphones or decades of other audio abuse but aren’t ready for your grandmother’s hearing aids, not to worry! The new MDHearingAid FIT gets you back in the game with a tiny, FDA-Registered, one-size-fits-most solution that doesn’t block your ear canal like old-fashioned in-the-ear hearing aids. The FIT feels so natural you’ll forget you’re wearing it, and the cost is slashed from $2,000 to $500 per ear by selling online with no custom molds or multiple fitting appointments required.

“People in their 50s and 60s resist hearing aids, even if they are suffering from hearing loss. One reason is the high cost, which isn’t covered by most insurance policies. Another reason is that they don’t want a cumbersome, conspicuous device that will cramp their style,” said Dr. Sreek Cherukuri, the ear, nose and throat physician who developed the FIT. “We designed the FITto increase affordability and acceptance, making it look more like wearable technology that lessens the reluctance to get hearing help.”

Barely larger than a dime, the FIT features a patented in-the-ear design that fits comfortably in the outer bowl of the ear – rather than extending into the canal itself – to allow natural air movement for greater comfort and a better connection with the surrounding environment. This exclusive open-fit design also avoids excessive muffling of incoming sound, helping ease the adjustment for new users with mild to moderately severe hearing loss. It also slips into the ear as easily as an earbud and has no telltale Behind-the-Ear wires or tubes.

A high-powered digital processor utilizes technologies found in hearing aids costing thousands of dollars more to accurately reproduce the range of sounds associated with the human voice and other everyday listening needs. This also prevents over-amplification of background sounds and minimizes the “whistling” that plagues many hearing aid users. Other features include:

• Volume controls typically found only on very expensive hearing aids
• Four program options—available with the touch of a button—for different listening environments ranging from TV watching to noisy situations like parties and restaurants
• Free one-on-one support from dedicated hearing aid specialists and audiologists
• A 45-Day RISK-FREE Trial with a money-back guarantee

The FIT is the latest in a series of MDHearingAid products developed by Dr. Cherukuri to help patients who cannot afford conventional hearing aids. Working with a team of audiologists, he analyzed thousands of patient audiograms to determine the most common forms of hearing loss, and then developed hearing aids to meet those needs. He elected to sell them directly to the consumer to keep costs low by avoiding custom fittings and associated upcharges by hearing aid dispensers.

The company has sold more than 150,000 hearing aids since 2009, received consistent five-star ratings from users, and has been the subject of medical studies that verify the effectiveness of its products. The FIT is its most advanced device to date.