Audiology Associates of Westchester
Hearing Health Resources
Clear, practical guidance on hearing aids, tinnitus, ear care, and the moments when it is time to speak with an audiologist.
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Hearing technology
Hearing technology
The 6 Hearing Aid Platforms to Know in Fall 2026: Which One Is Right for You?
Six hearing aid platforms for fall 2026: Sensia, Reveal, EON, MaX, Omega AI+ and Allure AI. Compare them in one table, then see which fits you.
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Hearing technology
What AI in Hearing Aids Actually Does: Five Questions to Ask Before You Pay
Five questions to ask before paying for AI hearing aids, and what Phonak, Oticon, Signia, ReSound and Fortell state about theirs. Call for a fitting.
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New technology
New technology
Natural sound or AI all day? How Widex Clarity Boost lets you choose
Widex Allure AI RIC runs AI only when you tap Clarity Boost. See the claims, their limits and the questions to ask at your fitting.
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New technology
Thinking about a cochlear implant processor upgrade? What Integro means for you
Advanced Bionics' Integro processors are not yet FDA approved. See what is claimed, what is unknown and how to prepare for an upgrade talk.
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New technology
Starkey Omega AI+: what changed, and what to ask before you upgrade
Starkey announced Omega AI+ on October 1, 2026. See what is new, which figures are Starkey's own and what to ask at a fitting in Westchester.
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New technology
Can an AI microphone help you follow the conversation at a noisy dinner table?
Phonak's new Roger On Sphere puts AI in a remote microphone. See what it claims, what is unknown and what to ask an audiologist first.
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Testing & Diagnosis
Testing & Diagnosis
What Happens During a Comprehensive Hearing Evaluation?
An ear exam, tones in a sound booth, word recognition and middle-ear testing, then the results explained in plain language. Here is how the appointment runs.
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Testing & Diagnosis
How Often Should Adults Get Their Hearing Checked?
How often adults should have hearing tested, why a baseline matters before anything changes, and what should bring you in sooner than planned.
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Testing & Diagnosis
Hearing Test vs Hearing Screening: What’s the Difference?
A screening gives a pass or a refer. A full evaluation gives an audiogram, word scores and middle-ear results. Here is which appointment you need, and why.
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Hearing Loss Basics
Hearing Loss Basics
Is Hearing Loss Normal With Age? What Is and Isn’t Normal
Age-related hearing change is common. Struggling through every family dinner is not something you have to accept. Here is where the line falls.
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Hearing Loss Basics
Why Can I Hear People Talking but Not Understand the Words?
Voices sound loud enough but the words blur together. Here is why clarity and volume are separate problems, and which part of a hearing test measures each.
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Hearing Loss Basics
What Does High-Frequency Hearing Loss Sound Like?
High-frequency hearing loss leaves voices audible while s, f and th disappear. Here is what that sounds like and what an audiogram actually shows.
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Cochlear Implant Support
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Cochlear Implants
Cochlear Implants
The Invisible Cochlear Implant (TICI UNICO): Are You a Candidate?
TICI UNICO is not in the U.S. yet. See 5 signs you may be a cochlear implant candidate today and how testing works in Westchester. Book an evaluation.
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Cochlear Implants
Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants: Where TICI UNICO and Envoy Acclaim Stand
MED-EL's TICI UNICO has a CE Mark. Envoy's Acclaim is in an FDA trial. Neither is U.S. approved. What it means for candidates in Westchester. Book testing.
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Hearing aid care
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OTC hearing aids
OTC hearing aids
Sony Exits OTC Hearing Aids: What Westchester Owners and Buyers Should Do
Sony's U.S. site lists its OTC hearing aids as unavailable. Owner steps, buyer checks and when to see an audiologist first in Westchester. Book a test.
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Prescription vs OTC Hearing Aids: How to Compare
Understand the difference between OTC and professionally fit prescription hearing aids, including when testing and follow-up care matter most.
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Symptoms & Next Steps
Symptoms & Next Steps
Sudden Hearing Loss: Why You Should Not Wait
Hearing that drops suddenly in one ear is treated as urgent. Here is why the first few days matter, and who to call before you decide to wait it out.
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Symptoms & Next Steps
One Ear Hearing Loss: When Should You Get Checked?
Hearing that drops in one ear is worth a prompt appointment. Here is what one-sided change can mean and which symptoms should not wait at all.
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Symptoms & Next Steps
Dizziness and Ringing in the Ears: Audiology or ENT?
Dizziness with ringing can start with audiology or with a doctor, depending on the pattern. Here is how to work out which call to make first.
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Symptoms & Next Steps
Do I Need a Hearing Test or Just Earwax Removal?
Muffled hearing can be wax, a middle-ear problem, or hearing loss in the inner ear. Here is how an ear exam and a hearing test tell those three apart.
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Hearing Aid Buying
Hearing Aid Buying
Are OTC Hearing Aids Right for Me?
Over-the-counter hearing aids are made for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. Here is how to tell whether that describes you.
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Hearing Aid Buying
Costco Hearing Aids vs Audiologist Care: What to Compare
Comparing a warehouse hearing aid with private practice care comes down to follow-up, verification, and who you see when the sound is not right.
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Hearing Aid Buying
Rechargeable vs Battery Hearing Aids: Which Is Better?
Choosing between rechargeable and disposable batteries comes down to dexterity, travel, streaming, and what happens the night you forget to dock them.
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Hearing Aid Buying
Invisible Hearing Aids: Pros, Cons, and Candidacy
Invisible hearing aids depend on ear canal size, hearing level and dexterity. Here is who is a candidate and what discretion costs in practice.
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Hearing Aid Buying
OTC vs Prescription Hearing Aids: Real-World Differences
The real difference between OTC and prescription hearing aids is who sets them, who verifies them, and who adjusts them when they are wrong.
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Hearing Aid Buying
AirPods as Hearing Aids: What They Can and Can’t Do
AirPods can amplify, and in a quiet room that is worth something. They are not a hearing test and not a fitted hearing aid. Here is where the line falls.
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Hearing Aid Buying
What Questions Should You Ask Before Buying Hearing Aids?
The questions worth asking before you buy hearing aids are about verification, follow-up care, trial terms and repairs, not only about features and price.
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Hearing Aid Buying
Bluetooth Hearing Aids: What Patients Should Know Before Buying
Bluetooth hearing aids stream calls, television and music, but compatibility varies by phone and by model. Here is what to check before buying.
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Hearing Aid Care
Hearing Aid Care
Hearing Aid Tune-Up vs Repair: Which Appointment Do You Need?
A tune-up covers cleaning, parts, comfort and programming. A repair is for damage, no output, or a device that will not charge. Here is how to tell.
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Hearing Aid Care
Hearing Aid Not Charging? Common Causes and Next Steps
A hearing aid that will not charge is often the case, the cable or the contacts rather than the device. Here is what to check before booking.
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Hearing Aid Care
Hearing Aid Domes, Wax Guards, and Receivers Explained
Domes, wax guards and receivers are the three parts that fail most often. Here is what each one does and which of them you can change yourself.
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Hearing Aid Care
How Long Should Hearing Aid Batteries Last?
Hearing aid battery and charge life depend on streaming, device size and settings. Here is what shortens it and when short runtime means service.
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Hearing Aid Care
Why Your Hearing Aids Whistle and How to Fix It
A whistling hearing aid usually means sound is leaking back to the microphone. Here is what to check at home, and what a fit adjustment in the office fixes.
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Hearing Aid Care
Hearing Aid Sounds Weak: Is It Wax, Moisture, or Programming?
Weak hearing aid sound is usually a blocked wax guard, moisture, or a programming change. Here is how each one gets ruled out, in that order.
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Hearing Aid Care
How Often Should Hearing Aids Be Professionally Cleaned?
Wiping the devices at home is not the same as a professional clean and check. Here is what the office visit does and how often it is worth booking.
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Hearing protection
Resource collection
Hearing Protection
Hearing Protection
Best Hearing Protection for Power Tools, Yard Work, and DIY Projects
Leaf blowers, saws and mowers are loud enough to matter over a single weekend. Here is how to choose muffs or plugs you will actually keep on.
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Hearing Protection
Hearing Protection for Concerts: Musician Earplugs vs Foam Plugs
Foam plugs cut the high notes hardest and muddy the music. Musician earplugs reduce the level more evenly. Here is when each one is the right choice.
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Hearing Protection
How Loud Is Too Loud? Decibels, Daily Noise, and Hearing Risk
Risk rises with both level and time, which is why 85 dBA is the figure that gets quoted. Here is how that applies to the noise in an ordinary week.
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Hearing Protection
What Is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Can It Be Prevented?
Noise damages hearing gradually and permanently, and that damage is preventable. Here is how exposure adds up, and what genuinely protects your hearing.
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Hearing Protection
Should Kids and Teens Use Ear Protection at Concerts and Sports?
Concerts, stadiums and band practice are just as loud for children. Here is what protection suits which age, and how to get a child to actually wear it.
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Hearing Health Guide
What changed
Phonak EON: What Is Actually Known So Far
Phonak released EON on 24 August 2026. What the reference behind the headline claim actually says, and what Phonak is careful not to claim at all.
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The idea
Signia MaX: What Is Actually Known So Far
Signia released MaX on 24 August 2026. What is confirmed, what Signia claims, what one lab has now measured, and what is still missing.
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Age-Related Hearing Loss (Presbycusis)
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is gradual and common. The signs to watch for and what helps, from our audiologists in Harrison and Somers, New York.
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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
How loud noise damages hearing, the warning signs, and how to prevent noise-induced hearing loss, from Audiology Associates of Westchester.
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Sudden Hearing Loss
Sudden hearing loss is a medical emergency, and the treatment window is measured in days. The warning signs and what to do, from our Westchester audiologists.
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Why this concerns Westchester now
Fortell Hearing Aids: What Is Actually Known So Far
Fortell fits only in its own clinics, at $6,800 a pair, out of network with every insurer. What the evidence shows, and what to ask before you book a visit.
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Sensorineural Hearing Loss
What sensorineural hearing loss is, what causes it, and how it is evaluated and managed, from Audiology Associates of Westchester in Harrison and Somers, NY.
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Hearing health guide
Conductive Hearing Loss
Conductive hearing loss explained: outer- and middle-ear causes, why it is often treatable, and how it is evaluated in Harrison and Somers, NY.
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Mixed Hearing Loss
Mixed hearing loss combines conductive and sensorineural components. Learn how it is identified and managed at Audiology Associates of Westchester.
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Hearing health guide
Understanding Hearing Loss
A clear guide to the types and causes of hearing loss: sensorineural, conductive, mixed, age-related, noise-induced and sudden. Explained by our audiologists.
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How Far Should a Hearing Aid Go In?
Learn how hearing aids should sit in the ear, why comfort and feedback matter, and when Westchester patients should schedule a fitting adjustment.
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Hearing health guide
Understanding Hearing Loss at 4,000 Hz
Understand why 4,000 Hz is an important hearing-test frequency, how high-frequency hearing loss affects speech clarity, and when to schedule testing.
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Hearing health guide
What Is the 60–60 Rule in Audiology?
Learn the 60–60 headphone guideline, its limits, and practical ways to protect your hearing in daily life.
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Hearing health guide
Understanding Dry, Itchy Ears
Learn common reasons ears can feel dry or itchy, which home habits can make irritation worse, and when to seek medical care.
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What Is the Best Hearing Aid Sold at Costco?
A practical guide to comparing Costco hearing aids, professional fitting, verification, follow-up care, and the questions Westchester patients should ask.
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Costco Hearing Test: Is It Free? Cost, Appointment and What It Includes
Costco lists its hearing test as free for members 18 and older. See how to book, what it includes, and how it differs from an audiology exam.
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What Are the Red Flags for Audiology Referrals?
Know the hearing symptoms that may need prompt medical attention, including sudden hearing loss, one-sided changes, dizziness, and pulsatile tinnitus.
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How Many Hours a Day Should You Wear New Hearing Aids?
Learn how to build comfortable hearing-aid wear time, what adjustment feels like, and when to call your audiologist for help.
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How to Get Water Out of Your Ear Safely
Safe first steps for a water-trapped ear, what to avoid, and when pain, drainage, or hearing changes need medical care.
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How to Relieve Ear Pressure
Understand common causes of ear pressure, safe next steps, and symptoms that require medical evaluation.
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8 Ways to Wear Hearing Aids More Discreetly
Practical ways to choose and wear hearing aids discreetly without sacrificing comfort, fit, or sound quality.
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Psoriasis Affects More Than Your Skin
Psoriasis Affects More Than Your Skin
The word psoriasis usually recalls recollections of people with skin trouble like the people on all those advertisements.
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Pride Month: Celebrating Diversity and Equality
Celebrating Pride Month: Embracing Inclusivity and Compassion
As June approaches, join Audiology Associates of Westchester in commemorating an important event: Pride Month. Discover how this endeavor promotes inclusivity and compassion, and how our company supports this cause.
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You Can Try Putting Hydrogen Peroxide Drops in Your Ear
How to Take Care of a Blocked Ear
We’ve all had the experience, the annoying feeling when your ear is clogged and no amount of swallowing and yawning can make it feel better.
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Resource collection
Research explained
Research explained
Precision Hearing Care Is Coming: Why Your Audiogram Matters More Than Ever in 2026
A 2026 study found audiograms capture hearing loss risk better than diagnosis codes. See what that means and when to book a baseline test.
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Research explained
Tinnitus science is moving from subjective to measurable: what a blood biomarker would change
UConn studies link a blood protein, prestin, to chronic tinnitus. It is not a test yet. Here is what it could change, and what to do now.
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Research explained
New clinical trial: sound therapy through hearing aids eases tinnitus, even with mild hearing loss
A randomized trial found sound therapy in hearing aids eased tinnitus distress in people with mild hearing loss. See what it shows and what it does not.
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Tinnitus
Tinnitus
Can Hearing Aids Help Tinnitus?
Hearing aids are fitted for hearing loss, and some patients find the ringing less prominent afterwards. Here is who that applies to, and who it does not.
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Tinnitus
Pulsatile Tinnitus: Why Heartbeat-Like Sounds Need Attention
Tinnitus that keeps time with your pulse is handled differently from ordinary ringing. Here is why heartbeat-like sound gets a medical look first.
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Tinnitus
Tinnitus After Loud Noise: What to Do Next
Ringing after a concert or a power tool is common. Here is what to do in the days that follow, and when that ringing should be tested by an audiologist.
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Tinnitus
Tinnitus at Night: Why It Feels Louder and What May Help
Tinnitus feels louder at night because the room around it goes quiet. Here is why that happens and which sound and sleep options are worth trying.
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Tinnitus
Sound Sensitivity vs Tinnitus: What’s the Difference?
Tinnitus is sound you hear with no source. Sound sensitivity is ordinary sound that feels too loud. The two are tested, explained and managed differently.
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Tinnitus
Ringing in One Ear: Causes, Red Flags, and Next Steps
Ringing in one ear only is worth checking rather than waiting out. Here is what one-sided tinnitus can mean, and what a full evaluation looks at first.
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Tinnitus
Lenire for Tinnitus: Who Might Be a Candidate?
Lenire is one device-based option that tinnitus patients ask about. Here is what candidacy depends on, and what our audiologists check before discussing it.
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When a second opinion makes sense
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Why music is different from speech
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Family & Communication
Family & Communication
The First Signs of Hearing Loss Families Usually Notice
Families notice hearing loss first: the television volume, the repeated questions, the missed doorbell. Here is what those signs usually mean.
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Family & Communication
How to Talk to a Parent Who May Need Hearing Help
How to raise hearing with a parent without a row: one specific example, a shared goal, and an appointment they agree to rather than one you book.
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Ear Care
Ear Care
Ear Pressure and Hearing Loss: When to Schedule an Evaluation
Ear pressure with muffled hearing can be wax, fluid behind the eardrum, or hearing change. Tympanometry and a hearing test tell you which one it is.
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Ear Fullness but No Pain: Could It Be Hearing Loss?
A blocked, full ear with no pain is often wax or fluid behind the eardrum, but it can be hearing change. Here is how it gets sorted out safely.
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Hearing Aid Fitting
Hearing Aid Fitting
Why Real-Ear Verification Matters in Hearing Aid Fitting
Real-ear measurement checks what a hearing aid actually delivers inside your ear canal against prescriptive targets. Here is why that step matters.
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Hearing Aid Fitting
What to Expect During a Hearing Aid Fitting Appointment
A fitting covers physical fit, real-ear verification, streaming setup, and how to insert and clean the devices. Here is how the appointment runs.
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Hearing Aid Fitting
How Many Follow-Up Visits Do New Hearing Aids Need?
New hearing aids take more than one visit. Here is what each follow-up appointment adjusts, and why the first fitting is rarely the final setting for you.
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Hearing Aid Fitting
How to Make Hearing Aids More Comfortable
Sore ears, a plugged feeling, or devices that slip usually come down to dome size, receiver length or shell fit. Each of those has its own fix.
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Hearing Aid Fitting
Why New Hearing Aids Sound Strange at First
New hearing aids sound sharp, hollow or too bright at first while you readjust to sounds you had stopped hearing. Here is what to expect in the first weeks.
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Work & Lifestyle
Work & Lifestyle
Hearing Loss and Cognitive Effort: Why Listening Can Feel Exhausting
When hearing is harder, listening takes more effort and tiredness follows. Here is what listening fatigue feels like and what actually reduces it.
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Work & Lifestyle
Hearing Care for Professionals: Meetings, Calls, and Listening Fatigue
Back-to-back calls and open-plan rooms make hearing loss expensive at work. Here is what helps with meetings, headsets and end-of-day fatigue.
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Hearing Technology
Hearing Technology
Hearing Aid Glasses in 2026: What Patients Should Know
Hearing aid glasses are cleared over the counter for adults with perceived mild to moderate loss. Here is what they do, and what they do not replace.
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Hearing Technology
Samsung Galaxy Buds Are Becoming Hearing Aids: What Patients Ask Us
Samsung's Galaxy Buds are getting an FDA-cleared hearing aid feature. Patient questions, a buying checklist and a safe trial plan. Ask us first.
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Hearing Glasses in 2026: Legato Frames vs. Nuance Audio Plus vs. Prescription Hearing Aids
Two hearing glasses launched in one week. Compare Legato Frames, Nuance Audio Plus and prescription hearing aids, and see who should test first.
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Meta's New Glasses Include a Hearing Aid Feature. Should You Try It Instead of a Hearing Aid?
Meta announced an FDA-cleared hearing aid feature for its AI glasses at Meta Connect 2026. What it does, how it compares to AirPods, and when to get tested.
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Nuance Audio Plus vs. Meta Glasses: Which Hearing Aid Glasses Are Right for You?
Nuance Audio Plus starts at $829 in the US. How it compares with Meta's hearing glasses feature, what open-ear glasses cannot do, and who should test first.
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Auracast Goes Live in a U.S. Theater: What It Means for Hearing Aid Wearers
A Montana clinic paid for Auracast at Billings Studio Theatre, live since September 11, 2026. What happened, what is still unknown, and what to ask about your hearing aids.
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Connected Hearing
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Why the range is so wide
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Original Medicare
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Screening or full test
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What a hearing aid adjustment is
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What custom earplugs are
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Buyer decision guide
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