Have you noticed advertisements for inexpensive personal sound amplifiers (PSAs) on television or in magazines lately? These advertisements are contributing to confusion about the difference between hearing aids and personal sound amplifiers. The reason you don’t see very many ads for hearing aids is because they are medical devices, supervised by the Food & Drug Administration, and therefore not available for purchase without a prescription from a properly licensed doctor, hearing instrument specialist or audiologist. Hearing aids are for individuals with hearing loss ranging from modest to extensive. They are adjusted for each individual to precisely address their distinctive hearing loss as determined by the audiologist or hearing aid dispenser.

Personal sound amplifiers also increase the volume of the sounds you hear, but they are intended to do this for individuals with normal hearing. Some personal sound amplifiers look very much like hearing aids, but they aren’t; the only thing that they do is take in sound and increase its volume. PSAs are not capable of correcting the subtle types of problems that hearing-impaired individuals have.

The low price of personal sound amplifiers (under $100, in contrast to thousands of dollars for hearing aids) may make them sound appealing to people on a tight budget. The vast variation in price is one good reason the Food & Drug Administration has gotten involved developing information campaigns and websites to make sure that buyers understand the distinction. Their guidance is straightforward: if you’re having trouble hearing sounds at what other people consider normal volumes, have your hearing tested by a professional audiologist or hearing instrument specialist before you think about buying a personal sound amplifier. Using a PSA when you actually need a hearing aid has many disadvantages. First it might delay proper evaluation and management of your hearing condition. Second, it may further hurt your hearing if the PSA is used at very high volumes.

So, before you make any final decision about buying a device to help your hearing, see your audiologist. Some hearing problems (say for example a blockage of the ear canals caused by a ear wax accumulation) can be corrected in one office visit. Other varieties of hearing impairment may be more serious or even permanent, but they too can be effectively treated using good quality hearing aids that have been correctly prescribed and adjusted. A hearing instrument specialist or audiologist can pinpoint the root cause of your problem. In certain scenarios you won’t need a hearing aid or a PSA.

After a hearing exam, if your hearing is determined to be normal, you may choose a PSA if you still have trouble with particular sounds. When looking for one, read the device’s specifications, and only consider those that satisfactorily amplify sounds in the range of human speech (between 1000 to 2000 Hz). Additionally, don’t purchase any PSAs that don’t include volume controls and electronically-enforced volume limits that don’t allow their volume levels to surpass 135 decibels. There is a place for PSAs in the marketplace when used by the right individuals. They can be helpful for individuals with normal hearing to hear faraway or faint sounds better. They simply should not be confused with genuine hearing aids, or be used as an alternative to them by people with true hearing loss.