Hearing Aid: How To Choose The Right One

Hearing Loss & Hearing Aid

Hearing impairment commonly occurs due to aging or exposure to loud noises, whereby nerve cells in the cochlea fail to send sound signals to the brain. Other than this, there are diseases, such as Meningitis, Mumps, and Chickenpox that result in hearing loss.

Undoubtedly, hearing loss can make life detrimental. People suffering from hearing loss struggle with communication and listening, resulting in a lack of participation in daily activities. To such people, the invention of hearing aids has emerged as a boon. A hearing aid is a small electronic device that is inserted in the ear canal or placed behind the ear of the patient to amplify sound, making the incoming sound louder. There are many benefits of hearing aids, from improving the quality of life of the patients; reducing loneliness, to eliminating anxiety and depression.

How Hearing Aids Work?

The fundamental role of hearing aids is to make the sound from the environment louder in the patient’s ear. It encompasses a battery to keep it working, an amplifier to intensify the sound signals, and sound chips to modify the sound based on your hearing impairment. The amplified sound signals are transformed back into sound waves to be delivered to ears with the help of the receiver or speaker.

Which Hearing Aid Is Best For My Ailment?

Hearing Aids at The Hearing Centre Singapore

Depending on the degree of hearing loss that ranges from Slight, Mild, Moderate, Moderately Severe, Severe, to Profound, hearing aids are prescribed to the patients based on individual’s hearing level. Besides this, there are several other factors like age, hearing aid styles, and cost upon which hearing aids are classified. Here we’ve put together different types of hearing aids varying in terms of their design styles. These Hearing Aids definitely work as a problem-solver for patients with hearing loss.

 

• Completely In Canal (CIC) / Invisible In Canal (IIC) Hearing Aid

The “Completely In The Canal Hearing Aid” is designed such that it can be inserted inside the ear canal. It is the smallest type of hearing aids that leaves out the least visibility and is suitable for patients with mild to moderate degrees of hearing loss.

Completely-In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

Completely-In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

Invisible-In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

Invisible-In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

 

Drawbacks of CIC/IIC Hearing Aid:

  • Consists of very small batteries which usually have a shorter life.
  • Doesn’t include features like volume control and adjustments, etc.
  • Prone to clogging due to earwax.

 

• In The Canal (ITC) Hearing Aid

Unlike CIC hearing aids that are designed to completely fit in the ear canal, the “In The Canal Hearing Aid” is designed in a way to partly fit in the ear canal. ITC hearing aids are slightly visible from outside and suits the patients with mild to severe degrees of hearing loss.

In The Canal Hearing Aids

In-The-Canal Hearing Aids

 

Drawbacks of ITC Hearing Aid:

  • Difficult to adjust due to its small size
  • Prone to clogging due to earwax.
  • Is More Visible

 

• Behind the Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid

A “Behind The Ear Hearing Aid” consists of a custom earpiece that’s attached to the hearing aid with the help of a tube. While the hearing aid rests behind the ear, the earpiece in the hearing aid fits inside the ear canal. It is suitable for people of all ages and with all sorts of hearing loss. It supports many features and incorporates a strong battery that gives it a longer life. Traditionally it has been the largest type of hearing aids, though some newer mini designs are streamlined and barely visible. It has directional microphones and is capable of more amplification than other styles. Some BTE hearing aids also comes with rechargeable models with bluetooth features

Behind The Ear Hearing Aids

Behind-The-Ear Hearing Aids

 

Drawbacks of Behind The Ear Hearing Aid:

  • Immensely visible due to its large size

 

• Receiver In Canal (RIC) / Receiver In Ear (RIE) Hearing Aid

The receiver-in-canal (RIC) and receiver-in-the-ear (RIE) hearing aid styles are similar to a behind-the-ear hearing aids with the speaker or receiver that sits in the ear canal. A tiny wire, rather than tubing, connects the piece behind the ear to the speaker or receiver. A receiver-in-canal hearing aids:

  • Typically has a less visible behind-the-ear portion
  • Has directional microphones
  • Has manual control options
  • Its available with rechargeable battery and Bluetooth functions

Receiver-In-Canal Hearing Aids

Receiver-In-Canal Hearing Aids

 

Drawbacks of RIC/RIE Hearing Aid:

  • Is susceptible to earwax clogging the speaker

 

Things You Should Know Before You Purchase Hearing Aids

  • Before you buy the hearing aids, it is necessary to get your check-up done by a hearing specialist or audiologist.
  • The role of a hearing aid is to amplify the sound waves so that the patient with hearing impairment can listen easily. So, expecting them to restore the listening ability would be a little unjust.
  • In the beginning, it might be a little awkward. Thus, a little bit of patience will be required to get used to the hearing aids.
  • There are different types of hearing aids, some are capable of eliminating a big portion of noise some don’t. You must invest only in high-quality hearing aids that can dodge-out a high percentage of background noise.

 

Final Words

The importance of hearing is inevitable in humans! In this fast-paced lifestyle, where it is necessary to match shoulder-to-shoulder with society, hearing impairment can restrict your growth in many ways. If you don’t want yourself to be left behind, hearing aids is a solution for you.

You can buy the highest quality and innovative hearing aids from The Hearing Centre. Visit our website to know about the various types of hearing aids by eminent brands today.

 

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