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Normal hearing test, real trouble: can hearing aids help?

NCT ID NCT07824115

Symptom relief Sponsor: Duke University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

Duke University researchers are studying whether hearing aids help adults who report hearing difficulty in daily life even though standard hearing tests show normal hearing. The trial enrolls 125 adults who have not used hearing aids before. Participants try hearing aids with different dome styles and with or without a setting that boosts speech over background noise, then switch to the other setting. Questionnaires measure changes in self-reported hearing difficulty and benefit in different listening situations.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
hearing aids with signal-to-noise ratio enhancement
What this could lead to
If hearing aids help, this could give adults with normal hearing tests a way to manage everyday listening trouble. It could also show which hearing aid features matter most for speech in noise.
What could go wrong
Hearing tests may not capture this kind of hearing trouble, so the benefit could be small or hard to measure. Hearing aids can feel uncomfortable or sound unnatural at first, and some participants may not stick with them.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 125 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jan 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

May 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Are adults (≥18 years) presenting with "normal hearing" (pure-tone thresholds ≤25 dB HL from 250-4000 Hz) but hearing trouble (≥20 points on RHHI questionnaire) * Are willing to try amplification (i.e., hearing aids) for the first time * Can Read/write in American English * Have access to email, internet, and phone Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with self-reported otologic history (e.g., ear surgery, ototoxic medications, middle-ear dysfunction, holes in ear drums) * Have moderate to severe traumatic brain injury * Have bothersome tinnitus as their primary complaint * Have a health condition that would interfere with study participation (e.g., dementia/cognitive disorder, blindness) * Prior hearing aid use

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hearing loss disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Functional hearing difficulties Hearing loss

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Duke University Medical Center

    Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

  • The Ohio State University

    Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

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