In this commentary post on Hearing Review’s blog, ASHA President Jaynee Handelsman, PhD, CCC-A, explains why recommendations by the National Academy of Sciences and PCAST are off the mark, and could lead to increased problems in hearing health.
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Among a dozen recommendations, the Committee on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care for Adults would like to see the FDA establish an over-the-counter class of hearing devices, an end to the “waiver system,” hearing aids that have open programming, and portability of consumers’ audiograms and hearing aid programming information.
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iHear Medical announced that it received FDA clearance for the iHearTest, the first hearing test approved for over-the-counter (OTC) sales. The iHearTest is intended to profile hearing ability based on WHO guidelines, targeting adults who suspect they have hearing loss, or those reluctant to seek professional evaluation for a basic hearing assessment.
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In a public comment before the President’s Council on Science and Technology (PCAST), ASHA expressed grave concern and opposition to the Council’s recent recommendations related to accessibility to and affordability of hearing health care services. The PCAST recommendations included a new FDA classification of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.
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The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) held an open teleconference on October 23, 2015 to discuss its report, “Aging America & Hearing Loss: Imperative of Improved Hearing Technologies.” Among the PCAST’s recommendations are a distinct FDA category for “basic” OTC hearing aids without the requirement for consultation with a credentialed dispenser, and the FDA’s withdrawal of its draft guidance document regarding personal sound amplification devices (PSAPs), referring instead to this new category as “devices for discretionary consumer use.” The Hearing Industries Assn (HIA) strongly disagrees with the PCAST and says it will be responding to the numerous errors in the report.
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According to new research findings, blocking the Notch pathway that controls hair cell distribution in the inner ear may help determine cochlear progenitor cell proliferation capacity.
Read MoreFour Washington state hearing care organizations issued a joint statement informing consumers about the importance of seeking professional help for hearing problems.
Read MoreHouse Ear Institute researchers have shown that by blocking a biochemical pathway called the Notch signaling pathway, most of the supporting cells in the inner ear of juvenile mice are induced to directly change into hair cells.
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The Baby Boomer generation thought they would hear the music forever, however, many are now having trouble hearing it at all. This problem isn’t just one for older Americans. According to studies conducted in 1999 by the US Food and Drug Adm
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Have you ever been guilty of holding a staff meeting and privately thinking that you’re wasting time? If so, here are some guidelines for conducting more efficient meetings.
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A look at what we now know about how COVID-19 has been found to affect the auditory system, based on a review of the literature.
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A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has reintroduced the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act to eliminate barriers preventing Medicare beneficiaries from directly accessing care from audiologists.
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Researchers have developed a brain-inspired algorithm that significantly improves speech recognition in noisy environments for people with hearing loss by mimicking how the brain filters sound.
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EssilorLuxottica has launched Nuance Audio Glasses in the U.S., an invisible open-ear hearing solution for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.
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Eargo and HearX, maker of Lexie hearing aids, have merged to form LXE Hearing, a new over-the-counter hearing aid company.
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