FDA Approves Sale of Laser Hearing Aids

Some interesting news regarding the sale of laser hearing aids.

http://www.earlenscorp.com/technology/device/

News in Brief | February 2016

FDA Approves Sale of Laser Hearing Aids
The ASHA Leader, February 2016, Vol. 21, 13. doi:10.1044/leader.NIB2.21022016.13

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the marketing of a hearing aid that uses a laser diode and direct vibration of the eardrum to amplify sound.

The device uses a phenomenon known as the optoacoustic effect, in which some of the photons of certain types of light are absorbed and their energy is transformed into sound-generating waves when the light strikes a surface. About 10 years ago, scientists began exploring how this ability to “hear” light could be used in hearing aids.