Correcting hearing loss is not like correcting a vision problem. When you get eye glasses, you get evaluated for a prescription, pick up your new glasses and in most cases, you are finished seeing the eye doctor.
When correcting a hearing loss, it is a very different process. The day you get your hearing aids, the audiologist will not correct your hearing to the full prescription. You would not like it if they did! The brain cannot handle that large of a sensory change in one step. When correcting hearing, it must be done gradually as the patient “grows” into their full prescription over time. This is one of the reasons it is vital to see an audiologist for hearing aid services.
How long does it take to be fully corrected? Every patient is different. Some are done with the rehabilitation program in 3-4 weeks. Others can take up to a year. Most often, patients are fully corrected within a few months. How fast a patient is corrected is dictated by their brain. A patient cannot control how fast they adjust. The job of the audiologist is to gauge the patient's progress at each visit and "stretch" their programming appropriately. This is what we mean when we say that getting hearing aids is a rehabilitation program. We want to maintain your best "long term" hearing-not just at the time of the initial fitting.
We want this to be a smooth, comfortable transition. We will never rush you or push you into hearing aid levels that you are not ready for. We will keep you informed as to how far you are corrected and how much further you have to go in your treatment plan. Our follow-up testing shows your progress clearly on paper to see. Our goal is to provide the best personal care so that you are always hearing your best.
