How to Choose a Hearing Aid
If you’ve recently decided to invest in a hearing aid you’re probably pretty excited to experience an improvement in your hearing. If you’ve done any research at all, you may also be feeling a little daunted by all the choices available.
How do the various hearing aids differ and which one is the right one for you?
A hearing aid can’t restore your natural hearing but they will help you hear sounds you had trouble hearing before and generally amplify noises. Every hearing aid has three main components; a microphone that receives sounds, an amplifier that interprets those sounds based on your unique hearing needs, and a tiny speaker that projects the sounds into your ear.
Those with more extensive hearing loss have fewer options, as not all hearing aids can amplify sounds to the same degree. However, there are still a few types to choose from.
- In-the-ear (ITE). This hearing aid fits inside the bowl of your ear. It has volume control and a decent sized battery with an adequate lifespan.
- Behind-the-ear (BTE). This device hooks over the top of your ear and has a piece that rests just behind. There’s a tube that connects the hearing aid to an earpiece that fits in the ear canal. This hearing aid works well for almost all types of hearing loss, and provides more amplification than any other type.
- Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE). Same as BTE devices with the modification of the connecting tube being a thin wire. A more discrete option.
In the case of moderate hearing loss, all the options are available to you, including much smaller and less visible models. There are a couple of types of smaller hearing aids.
- In-the-canal (ITC). This hearing aid is nearly invisible and rests in the ear canal. It’s smaller size has the drawback of having a tiny and therefore shorter lived battery. It can be difficult to maneuver for some.
- Completely in the canal (CIC). This is the smallest and the least visible of all hearing aids. Has the same disadvantages as above, but has more cosmetic appeal.
Expert Hearing Solutions can provide you with all the additional information you need, as well as custom fittings for your hearing aid. Our audiologists will also advise you on how to use and care for your device.
