hearing aid styles

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Hearing aid styles
Hearing aids come in various styles, which differ in size and the way they're placed in your ear. Some are small enough to fit inside your ear canal, making them almost invisible. Others fit partially in your ear canal. Generally, the smaller a hearing aid is, the less powerful it is, the shorter its battery life and the more it will cost.

With so many styles to choose from, keep in mind that your choice shouldn't be based on looks alone. The style that's right for you should be based on what helps you hear the best.

Common hearing aid styles include:

Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC)
- For mild to moderately - severe hearing loss
- Very small one - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a custom - fit, hard - molded plastic shell
- Fits inside the ear canal
- Barely visible or not visible at all in the ear canal
Mini-Canal (MC)
- For mild to moderately - severe hearing loss
- Small one - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a custom - fit, hard - molded plastic shell
- Fits mostly in the ear canal and extends slightly outside of the ear canal
- Barely visible in the ear
In-the-Canal (ITC) In-the-Canal-Power (ITC-P)
- For mild to moderately - severe hearing loss
- Small one - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a custom - fit, hard - molded plastic shell
- Fits outside the ear canal
- Slightly visible in the ear
Half Shell (HS)
- For mild to severe hearing loss
- Larger one - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a custom - fit, hard - molded plastic shell
- Fills a portion of the bowl of the ear
- Visible in the ear
In-the-Ear (ITE)
- For mild to severe hearing loss
- Larger one - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a custom - fit, hard - molded plastic shell
- Fills the entire bowl of the ear
Behind-the-Ear (BTE)
- For mild to profound hearing loss
- Larger two - piece hearing aid
- All components contained in a case that is worn behind the ear
- A hard - molded plastic case is worn behind the ear, and a custom - fit earmold extends into the ear
- May be barely visible depending on case color and earmold color

Optional Features

Telecoil: A telecoil is designed for telephone use. It prevents feedback (whistling sound) that typically occurs when the hearing aid microphone is covered (e.g. when the telephone headset is placed over the hearing aid).
Directional Microphone:A directional microphone is built into the hearing aid and helps emphasize sounds coming from in front of the hearing aid and de - emphasize sounds coming from behind the hearing aid. Since most conversations occurs with the listener facing the speaker, the assumption is that the speech will be coming from in front of the hearing aid and noise will be coming from behind the hearing aid.
Memory Button:The memory button allows the user to change between the listening programs that the hearing care professional has programmed into the hearing aid.
On/Off Switch:The on/off switch allows the user to turn the hearing aid on or off without having to close or open the battery door on the hearing aid.
Volume Control:The Volume control (available on select models) allows the user to adjust the the volume of the aid manually to fit the listening environemnt

Body worn aids This was the first type of hearing aid, and thanks to developments in technology they are now rarely used. These aids consist of a case containing the components of amplification and an ear mold connected to the case by a cord. The case is about the size of a pack of playing cards and is worn in the pocket or on a belt. Because of their large size, body worn aids are capable of large amounts of amplification and were once used for profound hearing losses. Today, body aids have largely been replaced by Behind-The-Ear (BTEs) instruments.

Behind the ear aids (BTE) BTE aids have a small plastic case that fits behind the ear and conducts sound to the ear canal, usually through an earmold that is custom made. BTEs can be used for mild to profound hearing losses and are especially useful for children because of their durability and ability to connect to assistive listening devices such as classroom FM systems. Their colors range from very inconspicuous skin tones for adults to bright colors and optional decorations for children. Recent innovations in BTEs include miniature "invisible" BTEs with thin hair-like sound tubes (see open-fit devices below). These are often less visible than In-The-Ear (ITEs) and some keep the ear canal more open so listeners may still utilise their residual natural hearing (most helpful for those with normal hearing in the lower frequencies). Ideal for high frequency losses, these miniature versions are generally used for mild to moderate hearing loss.

In the ear aids (ITE) These devices fit in the outer ear bowl (called the concha); they are sometimes visible when standing face to face with someone. ITE hearing aids are custom made to fit each individual's ear. They can be used in mild to some severe hearing losses. Feedback, a squealing/whistling caused by sound leaking out of the aid and being amplified again, may be a problem for severe hearing losses. Some modern circuits are able to provide feedback regulation or cancellation to assist with this. Traditionally, ITEs have not been recommended for young children because their fit could not be as easily modified as the earmold for a BTE, and thus the aid had to be replaced frequently as the child grew. However, there are new ITEs made from a silicone type material that mitigates the need for costly replacements.

Open-fit devices Recently a new device has come on the market, the "Open-fit" or "Over-the-Ear" OTE Hearing Aid. Usually quite discrete, these are small Behind-the-ear type devices, with a much finer clear tube that runs down into the ear canal. Inside the ear canal, there is a small soft silicone dome or a molded, highly vented acrylic tip that holds the tube in place. There are also devices available which have an external speaker, placed inside the ear canal, and connected to the hearing system itself by a thin wire. The external speaker allows the device behind the ear to be even smaller. These devices are designed to reduce the "occlusion effect", which is the amplification of your own voice when your ears are plugged up (try sticking your fingers in your ears and talking). Conversely they increase the possibility of feedback, and as such are limited to moderate high frequency losses. Open-fit devices are very beneficial for High-Frequency hearing losses, and have been introduced by all major hearing aid companies.

Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA) The BAHA is a auditory prosthetic which can be surgically implanted. The BAHA uses the skull as a pathway for sound to travel to the inner ear. For people with conductive losses, the BAHA, bypasses the external auditory canal and middle ear, stimulating the functioning cochlea. For people with single sided deafness, the BAHA uses the skull to conduct the sound from the deaf side to the side with the functioning cochlea.
Individuals under the age of 5 typically wear the BAHA device on a headband. Over age 5, a titanium "post" can be surgically embedded into the skull with a small abutment exposed outside the skin. The BAHA sound processor sits on this abutment and transmits sound vibrations to the external abutment of the titanium implant. The implant vibrates the skull and inner ear, which stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing hearing.

Eyeglass aids During the late 1950s through 1970s, before in-the-ear aids became common (and in an era when thick-rimmed eyeglasses were popular), people who wore both spectacles and hearing aids frequently chose a type of hearing aid that was built into the temple pieces of the spectacles. However, the combination of glasses and hearing aids was inflexible: the range of frame styles was limited, and the user had to wear both hearing aids and glasses at once or wear neither. Today, most people who use both glasses and hearing aids simply use in-the-ear types. There still are some specialized situations where hearing aids built into the frame of eyeglasses can be useful, such as when a person has hearing loss mainly in one ear: sound from a microphone on the "bad" side can be sent through the frame to the side with better hearing.

This can also be achieved by using CROS or bi-CROS style hearing aids, which are now wireless in sending sound from the "bad" or "worse" side to the better side. These types of hearing aids are much more frequently used than any eyeglass style.

Recently, a new type of eyeglass aid has been introduced by the Dutch company Varibel. These 'hearing glasses' feature directional sensitivity: four microphones on each side of the frame effectively work as two directional microphones, which are able to discern between sound coming from the front and sound coming from the sides or back of the user. This allows for amplification of the sound coming from the front, the direction in which the user is looking, and suppression of sound coming from the sides or back. Only very recently has the technology required become small enough, in size, to be put in the frame of the glasses. As a recent addition to the market, the geographical market for this particular hearing aid is currently limited to a few European countries.

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