Local Tulsa Company Helps Make Hearing Aids More Accessible

Starting this fall, people will be able to buy hearing aids over the counter at pharmacies and stores across the country, and it's thanks to a local company.

Cleartone in Tulsa played a big role in getting new hearing aids on the market.

The FDA said the goal of approving hearing aids over the counter is to make getting them easier and less expensive.

30 million Americans may benefit from using these hearing aids, especially for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, according to the FDA.

Charley Feeley, who owns Cleartone, said they played a key role in creating hearing aids that could be customized without having to send them to a lab.

This technology paved the way for FDA’s over the counter approval.

Feeley said the FDA approval opens the door for people to get hearing aids earlier, before their symptoms get worse.

“They wait until their hearing loss is severe because that’s when they are noticing the most problems. It’s when family members and loved ones are noticing the most problems, but they are not getting help when they really need to be, which is at a mild to moderate range of hearing loss. Which is what this new category of hearing aid is all formed around,” Feeley said.

Over the counter hearing aids are expected to hit store shelves anytime from the end of October to the end of the year.