Washington, D.C - With candor and confidence, President Bill Clinton has chosen to wear hearing aids to treat the high-frequency hearing loss that has challenged him over the last years. During his routine annual physical examination, the President was fitted with completely in-the-canal hearing aids which will eliminate the difficulties he has experienced in crowded and noisy environments. His type hearing loss is not uncommon for "baby boomers" whose lives have been punctuated by the loud noises of rock and roll music and crowds.

The President's fitting with two hearing aids followed a hearing evaluation -- an audiogram -- conducted by a hearing care provider. In a sound-treated booth, the President was asked to indicate when he was just barely able to hear sounds of different levels and pitches. In the President's case, the audiogram indicated a hearing loss for high-pitched sounds.

The President's hearing aids, like all hearing aids, are custom fitted. An impression or mold of his ear canal is taken using a silicone material. The hearing aid shell is then fabricated at the factory where the components suited to the President's hearing loss are inserted into the shell. The hearing aid will then be returned to the President's hearing care provider who will make sure not only that the aid fits properly, but, more importantly, that it is programmed or adjusted both to compensate for the President's hearing loss and to accommodate his listening needs. These adjustments will be made either manually or using a computer.

The President will need a few wearings to get used to his new hearing aids. Practice and patience are important, because first-time wearers often are distracted to hear things that they have not heard in a while.

Hearing care providers are confident that President Clinton will adjust quickly to his new hearing aids and will soon experience better hearing in situations that have been challenging for him, such as crowded, noisy rooms. These providers also expect the President to become so accustomed to his hearing aids that he won't even think that he is using them. Because they are completely in-the-canal hearing aids, they will be virtually invisible, even for a person as public as President Clinton.

The Better Hearing Institute (BHI), a nonprofit educational association, provides information about hearing loss, local hearing care providers, and medical, surgical, hearing aid, and rehabilitation assistance. Millions of North Americans with uncorrected hearing problems learn that help is available by contacting BHI's toll-free Hearing HelpLine (800/EAR WELL) or logging on the Institute's Web site. www.betterhearing.org.