Wearing hearing aids and glasses at the same time is mostly a matter of getting the order right and choosing compatible gear. Both devices compete for the small strip of skin behind your ear, but a few simple habits can make them feel natural together.
Put Your Glasses On First
Glasses are rigid and harder to adjust once they’re on your face, so they go on first. Slide them into place and make sure the temples sit flat against your head. Then carefully place each hearing aid between the glasses temple and your outer ear, adjusting both until the hearing aid sits snug and isn’t pulling away from your head.
When removing them, reverse the process: take the hearing aids off first, then your glasses. Use both hands and move your glasses straight forward and straight back. Tilting them up, down, or side to side will knock your hearing aids loose.
Which Hearing Aid Styles Work Best
The style of hearing aid you wear determines how much of a challenge glasses will be. Behind-the-ear (BTE) models create the most competition for space because the entire processor sits in the same zone as your glasses temple. Receiver-in-canal (RIC) devices are smaller and tend to fit more easily alongside frames, though they still rest behind the ear. In-the-ear (ITE) and completely-in-canal (CIC) styles sit inside the ear canal and don’t interact with glasses at all.
If you’re choosing a new hearing aid and you wear glasses daily, ask your audiologist about RIC or in-ear options. If you already have BTEs and they work well for you, the tips below will make the pairing more comfortable.
Choose the Right Glasses Frames
Frame selection makes a bigger difference than most people expect. The key is the temple, the arm that extends from the lens to behind your ear. Thick, chunky temples fight for space with BTE hearing aids. Thin wire temples leave more room and create fewer friction points. Look for temples that are as straight and slim as possible.
When you’re shopping for new glasses, bring your hearing aids along and try frames on with both devices in place. Your optician can help you find a pair that works, and some can even adjust the curve of the temple tips to sit more comfortably alongside your hearing aids.
Dealing With Feedback and Whistling
When a glasses temple presses against a BTE hearing aid’s microphone, it can cause audible feedback, whistling, or clicking noises. This happens because the contact pushes the device slightly out of position or creates a small gap between the ear mold and your ear canal, letting amplified sound leak out and re-enter the microphone.
If you notice feedback when you put your glasses on or adjust them, try repositioning the hearing aid so the microphone port isn’t directly under the temple. Even a millimeter of clearance can eliminate the problem. If the issue persists, your audiologist can adjust the fit of the ear mold or fine-tune the feedback cancellation settings in your hearing aids.
Accessories That Help
Small silicone connector loops are available that link your hearing aid to your glasses temple. You thread both the hearing aid tube and the glasses arm through the loop, which keeps the hearing aid attached to your frames. The main benefit is security: if your glasses shift or you pull them off without thinking, the hearing aid stays connected instead of falling to the ground. These loops are inexpensive, flexible, and sold in multipacks online.
Some people also use soft silicone sleeves over the glasses temple to reduce friction and cushion the contact point between the frame and the hearing aid. A thin piece of moleskin tape on the temple can serve the same purpose in a pinch.
Practical Habits That Make a Difference
A few everyday adjustments go a long way. When you take glasses on and off frequently, consider keeping a small case nearby for your hearing aids so you’re not juggling both devices at once. If you switch between regular glasses and sunglasses, try to choose sunglasses with similarly thin temples so the fit stays consistent.
Hats, headbands, and masks with ear loops add even more competition for that space behind your ear. When layering multiple items, put glasses on first, then hearing aids, then anything else. Remove them in reverse order. Building this sequence into a habit prevents the most common frustration: accidentally flicking a hearing aid onto the floor while pulling off a mask or hat.
If you’re still struggling with comfort after trying these approaches, bring both your glasses and hearing aids to your audiologist. They can assess whether a different size hearing aid body, a repositioned tube, or a modified ear mold would give you a better fit with your specific frames.