Hearing aids attached to spectacles

I’ve had NHS hearing aids for several years and though I can hear without them they certainly make sounds clearer. Last time the audiologist attached then to Bluetooth on my iPhone and tho it has taken me a while to get used to, I now find it great to hear the phone ringing straight into my ear and not disturb others as I always needed the loudspeaker on. All the audiologists at our clinic are very considerate and patient, thankfully.

winterwhite I think the new ones can be either clips or fixed.
My father's were fixed but I think most are clips now.*

Thanks for that mrswoo. Nothing is as good as it seems is it. My eyes are far worse than my ears and my glasses prescription is always changing. I was imagining that the hearing aids clipped onto the frames. Hadn't realised they were integral.

I knew someone with combined glasses/ hearing aids, but she said they were very costly. I am struggling with a new pair of spectacles at the moment. I’ve been back twice already so am putting off pursuing the possibility of hearing aids for the time being, but my tinnitus is getting worse, so I am not sure I can put it off too much longer. My hearing isn’t a problem except in a crowded noisy room, ( which I rarely frequent). But combining different needs is not easy.

I had aids just before Christmas. I struggled to put them in properly (I have child-sized earholes!) but persevered and have got it down to a T. I also wear specs and I put those on first so the behind-the-ear bit rests on the arm of the specs, otherwise the combination rubs the ears sore. However, I have twice "lost" one of them - not discovered till I went to put them on charge - but fortunately found it in a flower bed outside. It had actually rained overnight but the aid appears to have survived. I have them insured for loss and damage.

I can't get on with the bluetooth to my mobile phone - if I don't know where it is there is no sound to alert me (or DH) to its location and I need to find it in order to charge it up. So despite it being brilliant in theory it is an inconvience to me.

I feel there are a lot of other functions but no-one explained them to me and I also felt rushed in the fitting time and had to go back twice to have things explained.

They cost over £3,000 so I hope they last a long time.

That's really interesting mrswoo
My father's all-in-one glasses were amazing. He did have them regularly serviced and also (less often) needed new lenses.
He had a spare pair after the old ones were "upgraded" so was never really struggling.

Good point though. I haven't known anyone else with some like his. They had quite chunky arms - but so did lots of men's glasses I think.

Combined glasses and hearing aids are still around - I've seen them advertised in newspapers. However, whether they are tailor-made for both hearing and sight loss is debatable.
Having worked in both audiology and optometry I wouldn't really advise them. One thing to bear in mind is that, if your hearing aid becomes faulty you have then lost the use of your glasses too and vice versa.
My best advice is to persevere with your hearing aid and if you are still struggling go back to the clinic and see what adjustments can be made. They do take a while to get used to but don't feel you have to put up with having to struggle.

I was really sorry to read of the indifferent service you received from the audiologist.

In-ear-aids seem to be what some glasses-wearers use.

I've got a private pair of these on a 60 day trial at the moment.
The sound in general is a bit muffled. They have a lot of features and settings that I either don't like or can't get on with.
The audiologist has deleted these so in effect I'm paying for things I haven't got, and don't particularly want anyway.
I've gone back to my behind the ear NHS aids and have notified the surgery that I will be returning the private pair.

Thanks v much for this. I’ll persevere for a week and if still struggling ask for another appointment and explain the problem. Will also pursue the sort that clip on to glasses.

Most of the modern ones clip onto your frame and go behind the ear.

In-ear-aids seem to be what some glasses-wearers use.
My friend has gone over to wearing contact lenses.

My father's hearing aids were part of his glasses.
It was years ago though - I mean 1950s/60s when he first got them. He died in 1992 but still had a similar pair then.

I found the same with mine. I spoke to the receptionist and she changed the tube from the aid to the earpiece for a longer one, that's helped. I also "stretched and curled" the tube and the tail piece with my thumbnail so they were a better fit for my ears.
I have to be careful not to knock them out of place when I put my glasses on or comb my hair.

My audiologist wasn't really prepared to help with the practicalities either.

I'd say persevere as uncorrected hearing loss is a known risk factor for developing dementia, that's what prompted me to have a test in the first place.
I have moderate loss in the upper register. I can manage without my hearing aids, but it's amazing how noisy the water is when a tap is running so I obviously had been missing things!

Just keep practicing. My glasses fit behind the device and don’t move when in place. I’m sorry you didn’t get a patient audiologist. Mine let me practice in front of a mirror.
If I’m putting the right aid in I hold it in place with my left hand, arm over my head.then feed the tube into the ear then swap for the other ear. It’s done in seconds now. I’ve had mine six months and love them, especially the blue tooth. Hope this helps.

I sympathise with your frustration Winterwhite. It does get easier with practice but the solution for me was to get new glasses with a narrower end to the side arm. I haven’t heard of any hearing aids that are attached to glasses.