Hearing aid for unilateral loss? One vs two

Hearing Aids
#1

Hello! I am brand new to the community. I have had loss in my left ear for as long as I can remember (suspected nerve damage) in the high frequencies. The right ear is normal. I couldn’t find my audiogram from when I was a child, but suspect the loss has gotten worse as I have a lot of trouble with speech in noisy/group settings.

I just got my first aid, an Oticon Real 2, about a week ago. It definitely makes a huge difference in my left ear. However, I still am struggling in groups, though I understand my brain is still adjusting! I also feel a bit lopsided in that my right ear (unaided) actually feels a little clogged when I have my left aid in, maybe because of the difference in input.

I had asked my audi about the possibility of two aids before I got fitted for this one, and she said there’s no need as my right ear is just fine, which I get. However, I saw some people writing about getting two aids even with a loss on just one side.

Can anyone share their thoughts/experiences with unilateral loss, whether you wear one or two aids? How long might it take to feel more balanced with a single aid? At what point do I think about adding a second? Or, because there is literally no loss, would it be a waste?

One thing that I’m really stuck on though is that I’m going through a program that covers 100% of the cost for aids, but you can only go through it once. Once my window closes, I’ll have to pay out of pocket for a second aid if I want it down the line. So, part of me wants to do it now “just in case”, but I also don’t want to treat it like a glorified AirPod :joy:

#2

Do it! I don’t know about Oticon, but there’s often no fundamental difference between left and right. If you get two and only decide to use one, then you’ll have a free backup!

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#3

That’s good to know, thank you!!

#4

Monaural Auditory Deprivation takes a while to unwind. (Many months)

Persist with your single aid for now, perhaps have it adjusted down slightly to counter the imbalance. Eventually the brain should accommodate both inputs and restore your stereo effect.

If it really doesn’t work, buy a second aid then. However, like I noted, it’s months to habituate not just a short time. You’ll not damage the overall system in the meantime as you’re still helping the worst ear to get used to the aided sound.

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#5

This is fundamentally flawed advice for high frequency asymmetrical losses like the OP.

I’m not saying you’re Dunning-Krugering the situation here; but you are.

#6

I appreciate the info about the timeline! I was so overwhelmed during my fitting I forgot to ask how long it may take to adjust. My audi may have mentioned it but I was getting so much info.

#7

I wasn’t suggesting OP wear an aid programmed for their right ear in their left ear. I meant that if OP decided they didn’t like having an aid in their right ear, that aid could be reprogrammed to be a double of the left aid, and then they’d have a spare. I know that can be done with Phonaks. If that’s not possible with Oticons, saying so outright would have been more usesful to OP than just insulting me. It’s not obvious to me how having a spare aid sitting in a box would hurt anything here.

#8

Ok, fair enough, that’s not quite how it read to me.

Of course the aids can be both set to one side.

#9

Yeah, I can see why you interpreted it the way you did. Sorry if I was inarticulate!

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