Hearing Aid Buying Guide

If your doctor has recommended wearing a hearing aid, there are a few things you should know before buying one. In this section, we will try to clarify the most frequent doubts regarding this topic.

The first thing you should know is that hearing aids do not restore normal hearing, hearing aids only improve your hearing by amplifying sounds, helping you hear better those that cause you the most difficulty.

Hearing aids are responsible for bringing sounds from the environment to the ear in an amplified way. Most hearing aids are digital and battery operated.

A small microphone is responsible for collecting the sounds of the environment, and a microchip with an amplifier is responsible for converting the sound that enters into a digital code. It then analyzes and adjusts the sound based on each patient's hearing loss. The amplified signals are converted back to sound waves and carried to the ear through loudspeakers.

Hearing aids vary greatly in price and size as well as special features. Hearing aid designers continue to make hearing aid smaller and smaller to meet the cosmetic demands of users. But a very small device may not have enough power to improve hearing as the patient expects.
Here is a list of the types of hearing aids:

Inside the external auditory canal (Intracanalicular): In this group there are two types, those that are completely intracanalicular that are designed to fit exclusively inside the external auditory canal and the intracanalicular ones that are custom designed and partially occupy the external auditory canal. They improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults.

• They are the smallest and therefore least visible model of hearing aids
• You need very small batteries with a short lifespan
• They do not usually have special features such as volume control or directional microphone and if they are included they are difficult to adjust due to their small size
• They are prone to wax clogging the speaker outlet

On the ear: In this group, there are two types, those that occupy the entire concavity of the shell and those that partially occupy it. Both are useful for people with mild to severe hearing loss.

• Include special features like volume control
• They can be easier to manipulate
• Use larger batteries with longer life
• The wax may block the speaker outlet
• They can capture more wind sound than smaller devices
• They are more visible in the ear than intracanalicular

Behind the ear: They have a curved shape that rests above or behind the ear. They have a small cable that connects the hearing aid to a headset which fits into the external ear canal. This type of hearing aid is appropriate for people of any age and with any type of hearing loss.

• Traditionally they are the largest, but currently, there are very small designs that make them little visible
• It is capable of giving greater amplification

Open fit: It is a variation of the hearing aid that goes behind the ear with a small cable. This model allows the external auditory canal to be uncovered all the time, making low-frequency sounds are perceived naturally and high-frequency sounds are amplified through the hearing aid. Useful in people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

• They are less visible
• They do not block the ear canal, making your voice sound better
• It may be more difficult to handle due to its small size

Cross and Bicross System: It is a technology designed for patients with unilateral deafness. To function, the patient must wear a hearing aid in each ear. The deaf ear hearing aid contains a microphone and the sound it picks up is sent to the sound ear hearing aid (it crosses from one ear to the other, hence its name). The Cross variant is for patients with deafness in one ear and normal hearing in the other, while the Bicross variant is for patients with deafness in one ear and hearing loss in the contralateral ear.

Some hearing aids have optional features that enhance the ability to hear in special circumstances. Finally, it is important to know that adjusting to a hearing aid takes time and that even your voice will sound strange to you. But the longer you use it the faster you will get used to it. You will need to follow up with your hearing care professional regularly.