If you have a hearing loss, hearing aids are often the best option to make sure that you can keep living life as you want to. Modern hearing aids are able to amplify the sounds you struggle to hear, as well as filtering out the noises that you don’t want to hear, meaning that you can take part in conversations with family, laugh with friends and hear the sounds that you love.
There are lots of choices to make when deciding which hearing aid is right for you. One of those choices is to decide which style of hearing aid will work best for you, your hearing and your lifestyle. Some styles of hearing aids are more discrete, some are more comfortable, and some perform better in difficult environments. Read on to discover some of the differences between the different types of modern hearing aids that are available.
Because the electronic parts of these hearing aids mostly sit behind the ear they are more resistant to damage from wax or moisture than custom-shaped hearing aids.
In the event that these hearing aids do develop an electronic fault it is often possible for your audiologist to repair them, meaning that you will have working hearing aids as soon as possible.
This style of hearing aid is more likely to incorporate up-to-date, advanced technology than other styles, providing the best possible hearing outcomes.
Not everyone will find the behind-the-ear part of these hearing aids sits comfortably, particularly if they wear spectacles or have small ears.
Receiver in the canal hearing aids are the most discrete of the traditional style of hearing aids, with a small unit that sits comfortably just behind the top of the ear. This unit is connected by a thin wire to a tiny speaker that sits in your ear canal, providing exceptional sound quality.
Behind the ear hearing aids are the larger of the traditional styles of hearing aids. They come in a variety of powers, making them suitable for even the most significant of hearing losses.
There is no part of the hearing aid that sits behind the ear some patients prefer these, particularly if they wear spectacles or have small ears.
These hearing aids fill more of the ear canal, meaning your own voice may sound echoey, similar to if you talk while blocking your ears with your fingers.
The electronics are sitting within the ear canal, making these hearing aids more likely than “traditional” hearing aids to develop faults as a result of condensation or ear wax build up.
If these hearing aids develop a fault they will require a trip to the manufacturer for repair, meaning that you are likely to be without your hearing aids for a period of 1-2 weeks.
Invisible in the canal and completely in the canal hearing aids are the smallest of the custom hearing aid styles. They sit deep in your ear canal and are almost invisible, meaning that you can wear them all day without anybody noticing them!
In the canal hearing aids sit at the entrance to your ear canal, with a small portion remaining visible. Despite the small size of this style, they fit a huge amount of technology inside to give your hearing some extra support.
In the ear hearing aids are the largest of the custom styles filling the bowl of the ear. They’re easy to handle and are offered as either battery powered or rechargeable for added convenience.
Discrete
These hearing aids are typically almost invisible when worn, with only a thin wire visible from most angles.
Sound Quality
Because the speaker on this style of hearing aids is located within your ear canal these hearing aids produce an exceptionally clear sound.
Bluetooth
RIC hearing aids have Bluetooth capabilities included as standard, meaning that phone calls and media can be streamed directly to your hearing aids.
Flexible
These hearing aids are able to be adjusted to cover a wide range of hearing losses in the event that your hearing should change significantly.
Volume
Although these hearing aids are suitable for most losses they may not be powerful enough for the most significant of hearing losses – in this situation, BTE aids are generally the best option.
Powerful
These hearing aids are the most powerful and so are suitable for even the most significant of hearing losses.
Reliable
The sound in these hearing aids is produced in the part that sits behind the ear then travels through a tube into your ear canal. As a result these hearing aids are the most resistant to developing faults, since none of the electronics are located in the ear.
Size
This style of hearing aids is often larger than the alternative RIC style, meaning that they can feel bulky to wear and are generally more visible.
Ease of Cleaning
These hearing aids can be more difficult to clean than other styles, particularly if you have any difficulties with dexterity or vision.
Discrete
These are the smallest hearing aids available and sit completely within the ear canal, making them almost completely invisible when fitted properly.
Hearing in Noise
Unlike most other types of hearing aids, these have just one microphone and work independently of each other. This means that they pick up sound from all around you and are unable to directionally filter out background noise.
Battery Powered
These hearing aids are not available with rechargeable technology and run on the smallest batteries. This means that the battery has to be changed every few days which can be quite fiddly.
Bluetooth
Because Bluetooth is not available within these styles of hearing aids it is not possible to stream phone calls and media through them.
Power
Due to the small size, these hearing aids are limited as to their maximum volume, meaning that you may need to purchase a new set sooner than you would like if your hearing deteriorates.
Small
Small – Although not as small as IICs or CICs this style of hearing aid is still quite small in size.
Hearing in Noise
These hearing aids have two microphones, meaning that they can adjust their direction of focus towards important sounds and away from background noise.
Bluetooth
It is possible to have Bluetooth technology included in these hearing aids for streaming of phonecalls and media, however this does increase their size.
Rechargeable
ITCs are the smallest size of hearing aids that are available with rechargeable technology, however this does significantly increase the size of these hearing aids.
Visibility
Although these hearing aids are smaller than ITEs they are significantly larger than IICs or CICs and therefore are often more visible than expected, as well as feeling quite bulky – this is particularly true if you have opted to add in optional technology.
Hearing Outcomes
Due to their size, this style of custom shaped hearing aid is able to contain all of the available technology, giving you the best possibility of hearing as you would like to.
Ease of Use
These hearing aids are often the easiest to manage due to their large size which makes them a good choice if you have any concerns regarding your vision or dexterity.
Bluetooth
It is possible to have Bluetooth technology included in these hearing aids for streaming of phone-calls and media directly to your hearing aids.
Rechargeable
Like ITCs these hearing aids are available with rechargeable technology.
Size
Although there are some advantages to a larger hearing aid, many people find that this style of hearing aids is more visible than they would like and sometimes find them bulky.
