Hearing aids are underused despite their many benefits

We’ve written frequently about how common hearing loss is — particularly how the number of us with hearing loss grows as we age. A study of adults by the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons journal confirms it, noting nearly all participants 80 and older had hearing loss.

It was a different fact in the study, though, that caught our attention. Despite nearly 100 percent of the participants having hearing loss, only 59 percent wear hearing aids.

Dr. Anil Lalwani, team leader of the study, noted the discrepancy, saying “Hearing aids are vastly underused despite their great potential benefit.”

Another doctor, Darius Kohan, MD, chief of otology at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, was equally puzzled by the numbers. “Medical science has advanced to the point where high-quality hearing rehabilitation can almost completely eliminate this problem,” he said.

One of those advancements is our Via AI hearing aids. Named a TIME best invention of 2019, they’re not only our best sounding hearing aids ever, they feature artificial intelligence and embedded sensors to provide numerous additional health and wellness benefits.

Want to try Livio AI for yourself and experience why it made TIME’s list? Start by clicking here.