Old-diver ears, been putting off getting a hearing aid?

[Prostardiver]

I was in Zora:'s sandal store in St Thomas talking with her associate, After finding out that I was a diver she asked, " Which ear?" I asked her what she meant. She said, "You are a professional diver, so which ear have you hurt? " Uh, the left one.

 

[CT-Rich]

I've lost about 48% of my hearing in both ears. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I went to an audiologist a year ago. After the test they pointed out that I was actually lip reading part of what I thought I was hearing. I stopped teaching school a few months later. I was able to get hearing aids from a grant and they help a lot, but I could never have afforded them on my own.

 

[tursiops]

If you REALLY want to save money, try this: Pyle Behind the Ear Hearing Amplifier - $19.99 + $5 standard shipping.
I've worn aids for many years now. In my opinion, you pretty much get what you pay for, although it is diminishing returns as you spend more.
Best to think of this a bit like drugs: OTC vs prescribed.

 

[RyanT]

When it comes to amplifiers (which is what hearing aids are), the Pyle's are pretty noisy and fairly low quality. For some people with moderate hearing deficits, these might do the trick. As hearing loss progresses, however, getting the sound you want from the background noise becomes increasingly difficult. This is where units like the Pyle's will become increasingly less effective. Tursiops is correct about acoustic electronics. You get what you pay for, but at the very high end you do begin to see diminishing returns.