If you have hearing loss in both ears, wearing a hearing aid in only one of them is a bit like joining the gym and only ever training one arm, or buying a pair of glasses with a lens in just one side. You might get some benefit, but you are leaving half the job undone and your brain knows it.
We are built to hear with two ears. Your brain constantly compares the tiny differences in timing and volume between what each ear picks up, and that comparison is what lets you understand speech clearly, follow a conversation in a noisy cafe, and tell where a sound is coming from. When only one ear is helped, that natural teamwork breaks down.
The benefits of hearing with both ears
When both ears are fitted, several well-documented advantages come into play.
Clearer speech, especially in noise. With two aids your brain can combine the signal from both ears and separate a voice from background chatter far more effectively. This is known as binaural summation and binaural squelch, and decades of research confirm the benefit for people with hearing loss in both ears.
Knowing where sound comes from. Locating a sound, whether it is a car at an intersection, a grandchild calling out, or someone speaking from across the room, relies on input from both ears. A single aid simply cannot provide this. Studies show people fitted in both ears localise sound markedly better than those wearing one.
Less listening effort. Straining to hear with one ear is tiring. Balanced input from two aids reduces that mental fatigue and makes listening feel more natural and comfortable.
Use it or lose it
There is one more reason that matters over the long term. When an ear with hearing loss is left unaided for years, its ability to understand speech can gradually decline, a phenomenon first described in 1984 and known as late-onset auditory deprivation. In short, the unstimulated ear can get worse at processing words over time, which can make it harder to benefit from a hearing aid later on. Fitting both ears from the outset helps keep both ears active and engaged.
What this means for you
For most people with hearing loss in both ears, two hearing aids deliver a more natural, balanced and effortless result than one. Just as you would not exercise a single arm or wear half a pair of glasses, treating only one ear leaves your hearing working at half its potential.
Of course, every set of ears is different, and the right approach is always the one that suits your hearing, your lifestyle and your goals. The best first step is a thorough assessment so we can talk through what will work for you.
To book a hearing assessment with our team at Noosa Hearing, give us a call. We would love to help you hear life in full.
References
- Schilder AGM, Chong LY, Ftouh S, Burton MJ. Bilateral versus unilateral hearing aids for bilateral hearing impairment in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017.
- Silman S, Gelfand SA, Silverman CA. Late-onset auditory deprivation: effects of monaural versus binaural hearing aids. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1984.
- Byrne D, Noble W, LePage B. Effects of long-term bilateral and unilateral fitting of different hearing aid types on the ability to locate sounds. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 1992.
