What is causing me to experience hearing aid feedback?

This is a question we get regularly. Hearing aid feedback is an annoying whistling sound in your ear that sometimes even the people around you can hear. Thankfully it is never going to be a permanent issue and is something we can resolve. There are lots of different reasons why you might be experiencing it.

Excess ear wax

If you have a build-up of ear wax in your ear, this can cause hearing aid feedback. Ear wax can be safely and easily removed by a hearing care professional. You shouldn’t ever try to remove the wax yourself as inserting anything into your ear could cause infection. It could eve push the wax even deeper into your ear canal.

Wax, skin and other debris can block your hearing aids if they aren’t regularly cleaned. This can also cause you to experience hearing aid feedback. You should have a daily and monthly cleaning routine to ensure they are always at their best. Keeping them clean will also ensure they are performing at their highest possible level and help them to last longer. Your wax filters and domes (if applicable) need to be changed every 4 weeks unless you have been advised to do so more frequently. If you begin to experience feedback, it is a good idea to first change your filters and domes to see if this rectifies the issue.

A poor fit

Getting used to your hearing aids can take a while and until you are used to inserting them, you may not be getting it quite right. The feedback occurs if the hearing aid has not been inserted all the way into your ear and therefore some sound is escaping. Your hearing care professional will help you to perfect your insertion of the hearing aid and once this is sorted, the whistling should stop if that was the cause.

It can take a little while to ensure you have been fitted with the correct hearing aid dome (if applicable) for you. If it doesn’t fit snugly in your ear, sound can escape resulting in feedback and whistling. If you believe this is the case, your hearing care professional will be able to help you rectify the issue. You may need to have your dome size changed.

They’re too loud

If you are finding yourself turning up the volume on your hearing aids often, it might be time to schedule an appointment with your hearing care professional. It could be that there’s been a change to your hearing and your aids need adjusting to reflect the change. If you turn up the volume very high, it can cause you to experience hearing aid feedback and whistling.

External damage to your hearing aid

If damage has been caused to the outside of the hearing aid shell, it may no longer fit properly. This can cause the sound to “leak out” of the hearing aid which can cause feedback and whistling. If this has happened to your hearing aid, you will need to book in with your hearing care professional to get it repaired.

We hope that this blog helps you to resolve any hearing aid feedback issues you may be experiencing. If not, feel free to get in touch and speak to one of our helpful customer care team. You can book in for a hearing consultation with us here.