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Now new technology and a rare bipartisan push from lawmakers who are trying to reduce regulations for the sale of hearing aids are raising hopes that more people with mild to moderate hearing loss will be able to buy hearing devices a lot more cheaply and without seeing a doctor.
It's a modest-sounding goal, but supporters believe the measure on Capitol Hill could lower prices, spur innovation, and ultimately get hearing aids into the ears of far more people. Only 15 to 30 percent of people who need hearing aids actually get them, according to some estimates.
Currently, regulations in most states, including Massachusetts, require consumers to go to a licensed audiologist or other specialist to purchase a hearing aid. The average cost: $2,300 per ear.
Legislation sponsored by Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa would supersede individual state rules and force over-the-counter hearing aids into the national market. It has the support of AARP, which is the largest lobbying group for seniors and advocates for people with hearing loss. But it is drawing opposition from hearing aid makers and a major trade association for audiologists.
Supporters say the bill could unleash competition and put hearing aids that cost a few hundred dollars on the shelves. It could also foster technology that, among other benefits, allows consumers to use smartphones to control their hearing aids.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 13 2017, @07:03PM (4 children)
yes. please note I don't wear glasses myself, but my mother bought at least two pairs of "mass produced" glasses directly from a shop without anyone examining her (she did know in advance what she needed though).
when I lived in the US I saw them all the time at Walmart and similar; i think they're also available throughout Europe.
as far as I know they're reasonable, the only problem is that they're only available for simple eye problems (pure far sightedness or pure close sightedness).
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 13 2017, @07:53PM (1 child)
That's the thing. They get around restrictions by claiming to be magnifiers for reading. It's much harder to get a reasonable deal on a specific corrective prescription. They price them like some guy in back is hand grinding the glass.
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Thursday April 13 2017, @08:32PM
Zenni Optical is your friend. They offer really good deals on prescription glasses.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 13 2017, @07:55PM
Glasses for farsightedness are sold in USA, where they are called reading glasses.
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Friday April 14 2017, @04:11AM
I bought two pair of glasses online from a Chinese seller. They had a range of diopters available from -3 to 3 in steps of .5
If you have an autofocus camera with optical viewfinder with dioptric adjustment you could use that to guestimate your requirement. And heck, when a pair of glasses is $10, it's not unreasonable to buy two different sets and then splice them together to accomodate different correction factors for each eye.