If yours are 7 years old, I have no problem advising you to get to a good audiologist asap. The advances made in the past few years have been phenomenal. I am profoundly deaf. I have been wearing hearing aids since the late '80s. I bought the best hearing aids available 5 years ago but they were not up to the task. I bought a new pair 2 years ago and they have been so much better, but still not perfect. But the bluetooth connection to my phone, TV and computer make them remarkable. There is now a new hearing aid that fits in the ear that is better than my 3 yr olds. I pick them up next week. I can't wait.
Yes, they are expensive, but like the MasterCard commercial says, they are priceless.
But the most important thing is to find a really good audiologist. Sometimes they are hard to distinguish from the hearing aid salespeople that get a 6 month certificate in audiology. Look for a Doctor of Audiology. If I ever move, I will fly from wherever I move to to come back to see my audiologist.
I agree with John. I don’t wear hearing aids, but I had an issue last year to see an ENT, and they first sent me to an audiologist. She’s a Doctor of Audiology or AuD, and was extremely knowledgeable.
She said something nice like “you have pretty good hearing” and then something mean like “for a man your age.” Lol
I also ordered custom ear plugs (like musicians wear, but smaller and clear) which are way better than anything you can buy at the sporting good store.
I got them for marshaling at OSH (The foam earplugs are inadequate for an F/A-18 or an MU-2), but they are also great for the lawn tractor. Not good enough at an indoor gun range so I doubled them up with muffs.