Wearing hearing aids with glasses can be uncomfortable as you now have two external objects resting on, or against, your ear all day long. We have some tips to help make it easier for you, and dare we say – more comfortable, even. 

Wearing Hearing Aids With Glasses

Whether you’ve been wearing glasses for years and have now needed to get a hearing aid, or this is your first pair of glasses paired with a hearing aid, getting used to wearing both can be difficult. While it would be true to say “it takes patience but you will just get used to them”, there are a variety of ways that you can accelerate the process – and even improve it. 

For the purposes of this article, when we talk about hearing aids, we are referring to behind-the-ear (BTE)  hearing aids. While there are a whole range of different hearing aid types, the behind-the-ear model creates the most complications paired with glasses, because they both sit behind the ear. 

If you are not sure what hearing aid you have, a BTE has a hard plastic shell that houses the main components of the hearing aid and sits behind the ear. It has a thin flexible tube that leads from the hard plastic shell into the ear to deliver the sound. If this is what you have, then you have a BTE device. 

Here are some tips and tricks that will help make your hearing aid experience more comfortable with your glasses.

Your Optician Can Help

This may seem strange but hear us out. Your optician could potentially offer glasses frames that could be more comfortable with hearing aids. If you opt for frames that are going to be thick and bulky, this will leave less room for your hearing aid behind your ear. Choosing a frame with thinner temples (arms) and temple tips could give you more room to fit your hearing aid, making it more comfortable. 

Speak With An Audiologist

If you are using prescription hearing aids, then your audiologist will be your best go-to. If you are using OTC hearing aids, such as those from Lexie Hearing, then any audiologist will do.

In the same way that your optician can help you pick the best-suited glasses, your audiologist can help you choose the best-sized BTE hearing aid. Receiver-in-canal (RIC) BTE hearing aids have a smaller body because the receiver that processes the audio sits inside your ear canal rather than in the main housing. These would be the ideal BTE devices for those with glasses. You could even look at a mini-BTE for an even more compact solution but you may need to sacrifice some features.

Practice With Your Glasses

A good idea to get better at going about your daily life wearing both a hearing aid and glasses is to practice taking them off and putting them back on. A good motion is:

• Slowly remove your glasses away from your face,
• Tilt them slightly when you can feel the temple tips touch the back of your ear,
• Continue pulling your glasses away from your face. 

Be sure to do so gently, so as not to cause damage to your ear, your hearing aid, or your glasses. With enough practice this will become much easier but it is important to always be careful and take care not to damage anything. 

Glasses Before Hearing Aid

It is easier to position your hearing aid to fit comfortably with your glasses than it is for you to try to position your glasses after putting your hearing aid on. Your hearing aid will essentially ‘sit on’ or sit next to your glasses frames so it makes sense to insert them after you have positioned your glasses. It will also help prevent any damage that could occur to your hearing aids from your glasses, as well as prevent any feedback or similar issues that could cause an uncomfortable sensation in your ear. 

Practice Patience

This is a simple one – you need to be patient. As you practice taking your glasses off and putting them on, as well as practicing wearing your glasses with your hearing aids, you will eventually get used to them. It might be frustrating to do so at first, sure, but it a tip that will yield the best results.

By wearing your hearing aids and glasses together, your ears and head will acclimatize, and they will eventually settle into a comfortable fit. Think back to the time when you started wearing glasses for the first time, the best way to get accustomed to them was to wear them regularly – the same concept applies here.

Inside-the-ear (ITE) or completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids

Inside-the-ear (ITE) or completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids are, as the name suggests, hearing aids that sit entirely within your ear or ear canal. These hearing aids do not have any external bodies or wires that sit behind your ear. You shouldn’t have any trouble with wearing your glasses with these types of hearing aids but they can still be uncomfortable to begin with. 

Firstly, it is important to know that it is perfectly normal to feel some sort of discomfort, even if these hearing aids do not directly make contact with your glasses. If you feel any pain or prolonged discomfort, then contact your hearing healthcare provider. 

Why choose Lexie Hearing?

Lexie Hearing offers a seamlessly integrated ecosystem of hearing aids that offer better hearing to those impacted by hearing loss. Lexie Hearing also offers full remote support by Lexie Experts® to ensure that you receive the best possible hearing experience and ongoing care. Lexie hearing aids are also fully regulated by the FDA and have been validated by audiology experts as well as others in the hearing healthcare industry. 

Lexie hearing aids offer full customization through the smartphone app which offers incredible versatility and functionality. You can set various environment settings for different situations, adjust specific bass, treble, and overall volume levels, giving you the ability to tune your hearing aid yourself to your personal sound preferences. Moreover, if you require any assistance with setting up your device, or are facing any other challenges, you have access to an unlimited support network of Lexie Experts® to assist you. Lexie hearing aids can be purchased directly online. To learn more about Lexie’s hearing solutions, contact us today or try our free online hearing test.