A Guide To Hearing Aids

June 28th, 2011 by Angela

Anyone who has looked at the hearing aid market recently will probably be overwhelmed with the choice on offer. Mild cases of hearing loss can be helped using the traditional behind-the-ear hearing aid. This is prefabricated up of a small tube which connects a molded ear piece to a plastic case containing the battery and amplifier. The ear piece sits inside the ear canal and the sound is taken in through the plastic case, amplified and sent to the ear.

For those people for who behind-the-ear hearing aids are uncomfortable or unsuitable, in-the-ear hearing aids might be used. As the study suggests, this type of hearing aid sits entirely in the ear – within the outer ear bowl, or concha. ITE hearing aids are custom prefabricated to fit the ear of the wearer and even though also used in mild hearing loss cases, can be used to treat quite severe situations. Patients with very severe hearing loss might experience high levels of feedback which means this type of hearing aid might not be suitable.

Another type of hearing aid, the receiver in the canal (RIC) hearing aid, might at first be mistaken for a behind-the-ear aid. However, rather than the receiver (or speaker) of the hearing aid being inside the plastic box, it sits instead within the ear canal itself. This increases sound calibre dramatically and rids the unit of external distortion caused by the plastic tube. The piece put behind the ear in this type of hearing aid is thus much smaller and the wire is also very inconspicuous, meaning that this hearing aid is barely noticeable on many users.

Although most hearing aids are considered temporary or removable, some users have extended wear hearing aids fitted. This type of hearing aid is put deep within the ear canal and can be worn for several months at a time without being removed. The wearer is ready to adjust the volume and settings without the help of a hearing professional. Extended wear hearing aids, however, can often be uncomfortable and have restrictions regarding showering and underwater use, making them somewhat awkward for some users.

In some extreme cases, or where the individual suffers from unilateral or conductive hearing loss, a bone anchored hearing aid might be fitted. This type of hearing aid is surgically implanted in the skull and transmits sound through conduction. The sound processing unit processes the sound and bypasses the outer and middle ear, passing the vibrations straight to the inner ear for processing into hearing. This type of hearing aid is technically a sound processor and not a hearing aid in terms of medical insurance and is used in extreme or specialized cases.

Learn More : Hearing Aids Prices