Why hearing aids do not give instant benefits like glasses

We  often  see  patients  who  expect  hearing  aids  to  provide  the  same  immediate  benefit  we  get  when learning how to see or read with new glasses. Getting hearing aids to treat a hearing loss is an important step, but it’s not the finish line.

Adapting to hearing aids is more like learning how to drive. The process takes time, commitment, education, practice and patience. When you first start using hearing aids, your brain will be startled to receive signals it has been missing for a long time, this is due to auditory deprivation. This occurs in individuals suffering from hearing loss where the brain loses the ability to interpret words due to a lack of stimulation over an extended period of time.

Auditory deprivation is common, as on average it takes people around 7 years to address their hearing loss. The brain needs time to become familiar with speech and environmental noise again. We often hear a patients say that they do not want to hear the tap running, their own footsteps or paper rustling. We also get told that the sound is louder but they cannot hear what the person in front of them is saying when there is other noise around. We call this auditory confusion.  

With consistent, daily use  of  hearing  aids,  your perceptions and the brains ability to ignore  the  water, footsteps  and  paper  will happen  but  this  can take months to a year or longer,  depending on the length of time you  have  had  a  hearing  loss.  It takes time for your brain to ignore the sounds you do not want to hear and to focus on sounds you want to hear, particularly when in presence of noise. If  you  wear  your  hearing  aids all  day,  every  day,  the  auditory confusion  will  clear  sooner - the sounds  will  become  part  of your subconscious again as your brain begins to prioritize them.