Which hearing aid is best for you?

More than 1,800,000 hearing aids are sold in the U.S. annually. Rapidly changing technology and a wide range of prices and styles create many choices for consumers. Buyers who are not informed properly before purchasing may find themselves paying two or three times the customary price, unable to successfully use their hearing aids, and ill-informed about their medical or surgical options to improve their hearing.

"It has been estimated that up to half of all hearing aids sold in America end up in the dresser drawer," notes Douglas L. Beck, director of audiology in the Department of Otolaryngology at St. Louis University School of Medicine. "The consumer needs to be aware that, although a hearing aid is a medical device, it is also a consumer product. In some respects, it's not all that different from buying an automobile. The price range and options are enormous." Audiologists offer the following tips for consumers:

* Beware of false claims. Hearing aids are designed to make sounds louder. They can not clarify unclear speech or eliminate background noise. Claims to the contrary are misleading and incorrect.

* Don't expect one hearing aid to replace two ears. Most loss occurs somewhat symmetrically, meaning that the hearing in both ears decreases at about the same rate. Patients with bilateral (two-ear) loss who try to correct the problem with one hearing aid usually are in for a very difficult experience. Wearing only one hearing aid usually changes a symmetric loss into an asymmetric one and makes it hard for the brain to process sound, particularly in a noise-filled environment.

* Get the right style for your needs. While 80% of hearing aids sold in the U.S. are in-the-ear models, more powerful behind-the-ear styles are available as well as very tiny...