Digital hearing aids
Hearing aids have come of age in this modern, technological world. Digital hearing aids are now the preferred style and analogue technology may soon be superfluous.
There are many different types of hearing aids: the normal behind-the-ear type; the in-the-ear type; the in-the-canal type; a small box worn on the body and bone conduction hearing aids.
Behind the ear
The aid has a small plastic case that fits behind the ear, and a plastic tube connects it to the ear mould inside the ear.
Open ear fitting is a newer, slightly more hidden than ear moulds, version of BTE aids. These aids would only be suited to people with mild hearing loss.
In-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing aids
This device’s working parts are in the ear mould, so it is small enough to fit into your ear. Some ITE aids are visible from the side, though other ITC aids are inconspicuous as they fit into the ear canal.
These aids might not be safe for people who have severe hearing loss, or who have very narrow ear canals.
Body-worn hearing aids
A small box clips to your clothes or onto your pocket. It contains the microphone and working parts and connects to an earphone that clips into your ear mould.
These aids are great for people who have sight problems or who find it difficult to use small switches or buttons.
Bone conduction hearing aids
Someone who struggles to wear a conventional hearing aid or someone with conductive hearing loss would benefit most from these types of aids. Conductive hearing loss is the condition where sound vibrations pass through the outer and middle parts of your ear with increasing difficulty.
Bone conduction hearing aids transmits sound vibrations through the skull, directly to your inner ear. Patients wear a headband that holds a small bone vibrator behind their ear.
A second type of hearing aid, called a bone anchored hearing aid (BAHA), requires an operation behind the patient’s ear to insert a fixture into the bone. This will remove the need for a headband.
CROS/BiCROS hearing aids
People with hearing in only one ear might prefer these aids. A CROS hearing aid picks up sound from the side with limited hearing and feeds it to the hearing ear. A BiCROS aid amplifies sound from both sides and feeds it into the ear that has some hearing.
What is the difference between digital and analogue hearing aids?
The difference lies inside the hearing aid. Miniature computer chips control, monitor and instruct digital hearing aids. These instructions or “programmes” give digital hearing aids their name – digital programmable or digital signal processing (DSP) aids.
These aids are connected to a computer that automatically adjusts the settings to the patient’s requirements. Each patient’s programme is stored, and this makes adjusting or reprogramming the aid a cinch.
Analogue hearing aids use microphones to pick up sound and convert it into small electrical signals. Depending on the sound’s pattern, the signal may vary slightly. The device amplifies these signals and sends them to the earphone.
The upper-scale hearing aids use automatic gain control that amplifies quiet sounds just enough until can be heard. The patient’s ears will not suffer from much noise, but an analogue hearing aid does not have the same type of settings to suit someone’s individual hearing loss.
How advanced are these devices?
These hearing aids are highly intuitive and can filter out unwanted noise, and prioritize the type of sounds the patient wants to hear. Artificial intelligence enhances speech in listening situations that may be difficult for hearing impaired people. It changes automatically to adapt to changing listening conditions, and ensures you will always hear voices clearly.
These devices use the same type of artificial intelligence as that of voice-activated phones and speech recognition software. These programs shift through the normal clutter to detect human voices, and filters out office clatter, traffic and other normal sounds.
Comfort and design
Hearing aids have become more comfortable to use than in the past. There are different volume levels and the aid can be programmed to suit a particular hearing need.
Some hearing aids have a certain form of loudness compression system, and this will work well if the person who fits it adjusts the settings carefully.
There’s also no reason why you should put up with an ugly hearing aid. A growing awareness of people’s needs have prompted companies to design hearing aids that any aesthete will be proud of. These new aids blend in behind the wearer’s ear, and even if it is visible, e.g., a bald man who wears a hearing aid, it could still be an attractive piece.
Bluetooth technology can also be used in these new devices. The wearer would be able to listen to music through a portable music player, or answer a mobile phone.
Small enough
Digital hearing aids have different sizes, and private dispensers may have the widest range. There are small models that may be attractive options, even though these aids are notoriously fiddly to use. They also break easier and may not be very co-operative when you want to use the loop system.