Healthy Colorado – Over-the-counter hearing aids coming to a pharmacy near you next week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Over-the-counter hearing aids will be available starting next week in select stores across the country. A new federal law is making it possible for people to buy a real hearing aid without a prescription or trip to an ear specialist.

Hearing aids are now becoming more accessible and affordable.

"The cost of a hearing aid traditionally has been north of $2,300, and so the thought is that this will increase not only access to different parts of the country where there aren't as many professionals, and really cost is often sighted as a major obstacle for people to get hearing help," says Dr. Sreek Caherukuri, ENT surgeon and hearing aid expert.

Walgreens recently announced that its stores will start selling over-the-counter Lexie Lumen hearing aids to adults starting October 17th. The aids will cost you $799.

"The FDA has created some guidelines for mild to moderate hearing loss and the reality is most people will benefit if they have mild hearing loss," says Dr. Caherukuri.

But, these aids might not be the right fit for everyone because of the lack of customization.

"You have to be a bit of a self-starter and read the directions to figure it out and troubleshoot on your own, that is another big difference," says Dr. Caherukuri. But I think it's great because there are a lot of people priced out of the current market.

If you do purchase an over-the-counter hearing aid, you should talk with the store or retailer you buy them from about return options. You might need to try a new size. These are not custom when it comes to programming and there will be built-in amplification profiles.