Hearing Aids are an essential part of life for patients with hearing loss.
The right kind of hearing aid that will help you live a better quality of life depends on multiple factors.
Among those are the extent of your hearing loss, your lifestyle choices, & certain physical appearance concerns.
If you too are wondering which Hearing Aids are the best for you, then you have stumbled upon just the right article.
Before we begin to discuss which hearing aid you should choose for your hearing requirements, we have to find out which are basic types of hearing aids currently available.
There are two types of hearing aids:
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In-The-Ear hearing aids(ITE)
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Behind-The-Ear hearing aids(BTE)
In-The-Ear hearing aids(ITE)
ITE hearing aids are usually worn in the ear canal & are custom-fit. This fit is determined by your doctor based on an impression of your ear that they take at your hearing aid treatment visit.
ITE hearing aids are available in various skin color tones to suit the tone of your outer ear.
Some types of IT hearing aids are designed to fit very deeply into the ear canal, while others are intended to wear outside the ear.
Behind-The-Ear hearing aids(BTE)
BTE hearing aids are fitted behind or on top of the ear with tubing that sends sound signals into the ear canal. BTE hearing aids do this via custom-fit earmolds or a dome style that doesn’t block the entire opening of the ear canal.
BTE hearing aids are available in various colors & skin tones, as well as in some flashier ones to allow people to customize their own styles based on their personal preferences.
Both BTE & ITE hearing aids come with standard batteries that need to be replaced anywhere between 3-20 days.
Rechargeable batteries are becoming more common these days, however, but they have their own cons too.
Common hearing aids styles
In-The-Ear(ITE) styles:
Invisible In The Canal(IIC)
Completely In The Canal(CIC)
Both IIC & CIC styles are the most discreet hearing aids available in the market today. Invisible In The Canal styles are described as virtually invisible.
The wearer places them deep inside the ear canal so they are barely visible to anyone. They are removed by tugging on a small piece of string from the outside.
Completely-In-The-Canal hearing aids are also similar, with the difference that they don’t quite sit so deeply into the ear canal.
Both of these styles of hearing aids are suited for people who suffer from mild to moderate degree of hearing loss.
Due to their small sizes, they don’t come with manual controls like volume wheels or program buttons.
Advantages:
- Extremely discreet
- Good quality of output due to how well they fit inside the ear
Disadvantages:
- Prone to damage due to ear wax & moisture inside the ear
- Flexibility & dexterity problems due to their small size
- Small size can also pose a problem during connectivity with small wireless devices & Bluetooth devices
In-The-Canal hearing aids:
ITC hearing aids are fitted in the lower part of the outer ear bowl, which makes them comfortable & easy to use.
They are slightly larger than IIC & CIC hearing aids, which makes them a better choice for longevity of battery life & a wide range of hearing losses.
Due to their being larger in size, they can also pack additional features such as directional microphones to better understand sounds in noisy environments along with manual controls like a volume wheel, if the need arises.
Advantages:
- They are quite discreet
- They have a longer battery life as compared to IIC & CIC styles
Disadvantages:
- They are prone to damage caused by ear wax & moisture inside the ears
- These hearing aids can make wearers feel a little plugged up
- Small size can pose a problem in connectivity to Bluetooth devices & other wireless devices
Low Profile Hearing Aids
These are quite similar to ITC hearing aids & can range from half-shell designs that fill half the outer ear bowl to full-shell designs that fill up the bowl of the outer ear completely.
Much like ITC hearing aids, low profile hearing aids can come with additional features like manual control, directional microphones, & a volume wheel & push button to change programs.
People with mobility issues may find low-profile hearing aids to be very helpful as they are easier to handle than ITC hearing aids.
Advantages:
- They are easier to insert & remove from the ear
- Is able to accommodate more features & controls
- Good connectivity to Bluetooth & wireless devices
Disadvantages:
- More visible than smaller in-the-ear hearing aids
- Is able to accommodate more features & manual controls
- Is able to easily connect with wireless devices & Bluetooth devices
Behind-The-Ear styles
Receiver In The Ear(RITE):
This is more commonly known as Receiver In The Ear(RITE) or Receiver In The Canal(RIC), depending on their manufacturer.
Both however, refer to the same thing, an open-fit hearing aid type with speaker built-in into an insertable ear dome, rather than the main body of the hearing aid.
This style of Hearing Aids has a better quality sound output & is prepared by almost all major hearing aid manufacturers.
Another benefit of RITE hearing aid is that if it gets damaged, the hearing aid center can easily replace the speaker portion of the hearing aid, rather than changing the entire hearing aid.
Advantages:
- The only hearing aid to come with a rechargeable battery option
- Can easily support wireless connectivity with other devices
- It is easy to replace speaker separately
- Comes with telecoil options
Disadvantages:
- Smaller RITE hearing aids, also known as mini RITEs, can pose a problem for people with less dexterity.
- The speakers are prone to ear wax & moisture damage
- The microphone & sound processor that sits behind the ear are visible to everyone
Behind-The-Ear with earmold:
BTE styles with earmold are fit for any kind of hearing loss, from mild to severe. They have a long shape that follows the shape of the outer ear & can accommodate more features, controls, & battery power than other kinds of hearing aids.
A BTE with an earmold style is often the preferred choice for children with hearing loss, as it can be reprogrammed as needed when the child grows.
Advantages:
- Can easily fit all degrees of hearing loss, including severe cases
- Supports easy connectivity to Bluetooth & wireless devices
- Custom-fit earmold can easily be replaced separately
- Less prone to moisture or ear wax damage
Disadvantages:
- Wearers can feel as if their ears are plugged up
- Eyeglass wearers may find experience some space limitations
- Isn’t very discreet or hidden
How to Decide which hearing aid is the best for you?
Your doctor can decide which type of hearing aid is the best for you, depending on a few factors.
They will take into consideration the extent of your hearing loss, your age, other medical factors, your medical history, how long you’ve had hearing loss, & your personal preferences to reach a final decision.
They will also specify the precautions you have to take while wearing a certain type of hearing aid, & how often do you need to recharge their batteries, & take them for a thorough inspection.
If your hearing aids aren’t helping your hearing loss at all, then your doctor may make a decision to switch or suggest some other possible alternative.
To know more about hearing loss, its diagnosis, treatment, & management options including hearing aids & surgeries, in detail, visit www.vertigoandearclinic.com
Dr Anita Bhandari’s Vertigo and Ear Clinic
An advanced centre for diagnosis, management and rehabilitation of vertigo, hearing and balance disorders