I will need them here before to long , working in the mining industry for 25 years has played them out. I worked around underground drills for 5 years before they required daul hearing protection. That damaged them the worst.

Colombia U. is doing clinical trials using gene therapy to cure deafness. Hope it happens in my lifetime. http://www.entcolumbia.org/world-s-first-gene-therapy-trial-hearing-loss

Thats Awesome...hope so too!

I have had 4 sets and I have a brand new set that don't do it for me , get someones used aids an have them fit just as good

I have ever increasing hearing loss in both ears. I certainly can't afford to buy one of the so-called Good ones at $5,000 to $7,000. I had a hearing test performed and found the loss in one ear was in the high range and the other ear was in the low range. My greatest loss was in voice recognition. Last year, I believe, there was a new Federal rule or maybe even a law, not sure, that made it possible for companies to sell across the counter hearing aids. This also meant online sales were permissible.

So I bought a pair, behind the ear and they didn't really help at all, unless there absolutely no background noise. So I returned them. I had studied and even called several companies and finally found an in the ear model that I was told would correct all of these problems. The cost was a little under $500 for the pair. They didn't work either and sent them back and got money back..

I found that a friend of mine's sister was an audiologist and that she would talk to me without charging me anything if I brought in the results of my hearing test. After she reviewed my test she told me that most all hearing aids, even the very best do not help a lot if your problem is voice recognition, because everyone's voice is different. That they talk in different ranges of high to low and their pitch is different. She said, that some of the more expensive ones can help some people, but they won't help everyone.

The thing that is disgusting is that I can hear a squirrel running in the drive leaves almost a 100 yards away and other sounds in nature. So my choice is to stay home and don't associate with people in a noisy background situation... which is most situations. So... I can tell that my hearing is getting worse, but apparently it is something I will have to live with. I have given up going to any organized functions and meetings and clubs I belonged to and more or less resigned myself to the fact I will probably end up being a hermit.

Garry-

When I first got mine the sound of my pee hitting the water in the toilet was shocking! Seems some sounds I had been missing and my brain had to relearn them as normal.

My expensive #1 brand hearing aids are about 33% effective.

Actor the staying away sucks. I been doing that for years. Best solution is to take someone with you to Translate what is going on. My wife does this for me but often I feel like a bump on a log as I have to get everything second hand. Just the cards we are dealt and it is up to us to decide how to play them.