1. SAFETY. When a person hears with only one ear, he or she has difficulty locating sounds. This can be dangerous, especially in traffic.
2. IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING. Binaural hearing helps you sort out and understand individual voices.
3. WIDER HEARING RANGE. A voice barely heard at ten feet away with one ear can be heard up to forty feet away with two ears.
4. RESTFUL LISTENING. Listening with only one ear is physically tiring.
5. SMOOTHER TONE QUALITY. Binaural hearing generally requires less volume, giving a natural sound to voices and music.
6. CUSHIONS LOUD SOUNDS. Sudden loud noises lose much of their jarring effect when divided between two ears.
7. BETTER SOUND IDENTIFICATION. Many noises, which almost sound exactly alike when heard with one ear can be identified easily when heard with two.
8. BOTH EARS STAY ACTIVE. When a hard of hearing person wears a hearing aid on only one ear, that ear tends to take over all hearing. The unaided ear tends to lose its ability to hear and understand. This can be viewed as similar to exercise. An unaided, impaired ear reacts as any other part of the body would without proper stimulation and use. It can become sedentary and, as a consequence, the ear’s nerves are not appropriately stimulated.
9. BALANCE HEARING. With two (2) hearing aids, we achieve balance and more natural hearing. There is no need to turn and re-direct one aided ear and/or position people on your “good side”.
10. TINNITUS RELIEF. Introducing sounds and speech to each ear can overlay and “mask” the annoying symptoms of tinnitus (head noises).

Conclusion: A perfectly normal ear is at a disadvantage when used alone. Similarly, a hard of hearing person wearing one excellent, well-fitted hearing aid will still experience hearing difficulties if the second ear is impaired and remains unaided. Think of hearing aids as you would eyewear. If you had vision problems in both eyes would you wear only one corrective lens? Or would you have proper prescriptions made for each side to achieve maximum clarity and focus? We were meant to hear with two ears-- that’s why we have two.

Sources: Walter Reed Army Medical Center: United States Government Study