Choosing the Right Hearing Aid For You
Choosing the right hearing aid for you
While there are many types of hearing aids, considering what will soon be the determining factor of your purchase can help alleviate some, if not all, of your concerns: knowing and understanding the differences between different hearing aid options available, what to look for when buying and how to break in it in.
Getting down to BASICS
There are many hearing aids available. However, all of your options will be weighed among four (4) common hearing aid components that are required to carry sound from the environment into your ear, including:
- A microphone which collects sounds from the environment.
- An amplifier which amplifies or increases the volume of that sound.
- A speaker which acts as a loudspeaker, sending the sound into your inner ear so that it can be audible to you. The amplified signal stimulates the inner ear, which then activates the nerve fibers that carry the sound impulses to your brain.
- A battery which provides power to the electronic parts of the hearing aid.
Hearing Aid Styles
There are many types of hearing aids, differing in size and the way in which they are placed in and or around your ear. Some are nearly invisible, small enough to fit inside your ear canal. Others will fit partially inside of your ear canal. In general, the smaller the hearing aid, the less powerful it is, and thus, the shorter the battery life and more it will cost.
When looking at hearing aids, one thing that you should always keep in mind is that your choice should not be based on looks along, but rather, on the style and fit that’s best for you - that is, what helps you hear the best.
There are three (3) basic styles of hearing aids available - differing by size, placement on or inside the ear, and the degree to which they amplify sound. Among the most common hearing aid style to choose from include:
1. Behind-the-ear, or BTE hearing aids generally consist of a hard plastic component that is worn behind the ear and connected to a plastic earmold that fits inside the outer ear. BTEs are the largest and therefore the most visible type of hearing aid, although newer versions are much smaller, streamlined and barely visible. They are the most powerful and among the easiest type to adjust.
2. In-the-ear, or ITE hearing aids fit completely inside the outer ear (filling most of the bowl-shaped area of the outer ear) and are used for mild to severe hearing loss. Like BTEs, electronic components are encased in hard plastic. ITEs are also fairly visible to others and are susceptible to wind noise. While they are also large in appearance, they are easily inserted into the ear and adjusted.
3. In-the-canal, or ITC hearing aids are meant to fit partially in the ear canal, as opposed to deeply in the canal aids and can easily accommodate mild to moderately severe hearing loss in adults. Because they are so small, they can be very difficult to adjust. Recent improvements to ITCs now boast a remote control option for those who have trouble with small controls.
There are two (2) new types of hearing aids available.
A new kind of hearing aid option known as an “open fit” hearing aid are very small BTE devices. They are generally best for those with mild to moderate high-frequency losses where low-frequency hearing is still normal. They are generally less visible and do not plug up the ear like small ITE models do.
Another new kind of hearing aid available is known as a bone-anchored hearing aid, or BAHA. BAHAs are small devices that are attached to the bone behind the ear. Because the device transmits sound vibrations directly to the inner ear through the skull, bypassing the middle ear, BAHAs are generally used by those with middle ear problems or deafness in one ear. Although they work differently than the hearing aids described above, BAHAs are implantable hearing aids that are designed to help increase the transmission of sound vibrations entering the inner ear. Many specialists feel that the benefits may not outweigh the risks as surgery is required to implant either of these devices.