In actuality, they go unnoticed, one can barely see them, further less hear them; modern day earpieces have evolved so much that they are less visible than any other additional aid for the body such as wheelchairs, glasses or crutches.
Since the early âear trumpetsâ to modern day endaural hearing aids, not much time has passed; it has been barely a century. However, the technological leap has been abysmal. The function remains the same, picking up sounds and amplifying them so they can become audible. Depending on the hearing loss that each person has, these devices need to be fitted in the stores according to the patientâs audiometric data. A silicon mold of the patientâs ear will be made so any model of the selected earpiece, be it internal or external, fits perfectly. This is of vital importance so as to receive the sounds correctly, avoid nuisances and to stop the devices from emitting constant and uncomfortable sounds. This process of personalization, and the advanced electronics of the devices increase the price a lot (between 1500⏠and 3000⏠each). Furthermore, if we add to this that ears, much like eyes, can have different calibrations, the total cost can rise to figures not easily affordable by the vast majority.
The subsidy for these devices has always been controversial. Stances against the subsidy exist, such as in Spain, where there isnât any kind of subsidized help, because it is considered an aid similar to glasses. This is to say, this is an aid, not a necessity (even though a person with a correction of five or more diopters is considered to be officially blind). On the other hand, there is the case of Ecuador, where the government decided to subsidize 100% of the cost of hearing aids; including people that due to their hearing loss couldn’t take advantage of it (they are still stored in drawers).
Both stances are right. Ear pieces are neither infallible, nor essential but they do help raise the quality of life of the people that use them (as long as they are not misplaced).
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