WEST LEBANON — Advocates are cheering a federal change that allows those with mild to moderate hearing loss to purchase hearing aids over the counter.

The Food and Drug Administration approved hearing aids for over the counter sale to people age 18 or older in October. Before the change, the only way people could get hearing aids was through a prescription from a hearing specialist such as an audiologist or otolaryngologist, also known as ear, nose and throat doctors. Prescription hearing aids range in price but can cost several thousand dollars.

Now over-the-counter “personal sound amplifiers” can cost as little as $40 a pair, according to a December news release from Kinney Drugs announcing that the New York-based pharmacy chain is now offering over-the-counter hearing aids at some of its stores. The aids are not yet available at Kinney Drugs’ Upper Valley locations, but the over-the-counter devices are now available at other pharmacies and big box stores, including some in the Upper Valley, as well as online.

“It’s been a shot across the bow to the hearing aid industry to say, ‘People are sick of this. You’re charging way too much,’ ” Charlea Baker, chairwoman of the steering committee of the Vermont Chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America, said.

Baker, a Chester, Vt., resident who used to work for the state helping people finance hearing aids, said that sometimes people who have hearing loss can be put off by the price of prescription hearing aids, which often are not covered by insurance. In the meantime, their difficulty hearing might affect their marriages and job performance, she said.

There’s “real suffering when people can’t access communication,” she said.

But people might be more likely to try the less-expensive over-the-counter options, which may give them the ability to once again hear birds sing, for example.

It “introduces them (to sound amplification) without completely knocking (out) their bank account,” Baker said. Now, she said, “for under $500, you can at least dip your toe in the water.”

Laura Siegel, director of Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and DeafBlind Services for the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living, said that over-the-counter hearing aids are now available at Walmart, Best Buy and CVS in retail stores, as well as online through Lively, MDHearing and Eargo.

“I’m sure there are and will be more retail selling hearing aids as time goes on,” she said, noting that the increased availability “is good for those who have mild to moderate hearing loss.”

Those who need assistance paying for hearing aids can try the Vermont Center for Independent Living, a Montpelier-based nonprofit, and HireAbility Vermont, previously known as the state’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Siegel said. They might be able to help people get full coverage for hearing aids, she said.

Alice Ely, executive director of the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley, also welcomed the increase in access that the change represents. On health surveys, people in the Upper Valley regularly list the cost of getting things they need out of the health care system as one of their top concerns.

“I would imagine that things like this fall into that category,” she said.

Ely said she views this change as allowing people to go to a drug store to get hearing aids in the same way they might purchase reading glasses.

“I think it’s good,” Ely said. “I would go so far to say I think changes in the way devices like this are made available to people can disrupt the industries that supply them just enough to shake them loose a little bit.”

Still, Baker cautioned that people with hearing loss should see a professional in order to rule out medical causes of hearing loss such as tumors or even ear wax that will not be aided by the devices. She compared using a hearing aid to address hearing loss caused by a tumor to using a Band-Aid on a melanoma, which she acknowledged isn’t a good idea.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, over-the-counter hearing aids are for adults for whom speech or other sounds seem muffled; who have trouble hearing in a group, in a noisy area on the phone or when they can’t see who’s talking; who have to ask people to speak more slowly or repeat themselves; or who have to turn up the volume higher than other people would on the TV or radio.

People should see a medical professional, however, if they have had fluids coming out of their ears in the past six months; have pain or discomfort in their ears; have a history of excessive ear wax or suspect there is something in their ears; have episodes of severe dizziness with their hearing loss; have sudden hearing loss; or have hearing loss or ringing only in one ear, according to the national institute.

Baker encourages people with hearing loss that might not be rectified by over-the-counter hearing aids — a group that includes her — to talk with an audiologist about more affordable options than the first one that might be presented to them.

“I needed one hearing aid and I paid substantially less, but I knew to ask,” said Baker, who without amplification can hear the high-pitched sound of birds, but not the low pitch of trucks. “All I need to do is functionally hear.”

While over-the-counter hearing aids won’t work for everyone, Baker said they’re a step in the right direction.

“All things being equal, don’t turn people away,” she said.

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.

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