Select a Medical Service | Hearing Aid Center

A hearing aid is an electronic device that brings amplified sound to the ear. Hearing aids are helpful, but they do not restore normal hearing or eliminate background noise.

There are several types of hearing aids. Each type offers different advantages, depending on its design, levels of amplification, and size. Hearing aids may be grouped by size and by the technology implemented.

Hearing Aid Options By Size

A hearing aid must be appropriate in size to be effective. Your audiologist will help you determine which size is right for you.

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ear and are connected to a plastic ear mold that fits inside the outer ear. The components are held in a case behind the ear. Sound travels through the ear mold into the ear. The BTE is a powerful device and is still the preferred choice in most cases. Today's BTEs are also much smaller than in the past and in many cases can be concealed by the ear and/or the hairline.
Three other hearing aid options ranging downward in size are In-the-Ear (ITE), In-the-Canal (ITC), and Completely-in-Canal (CIC). While these are worn in the ear rather than behind the ear, they may also be less effective for people with severe hearing loss. Your audiologist will help you decide if an in-ear solution will correct your hearing problem.

Hearing Aid Options by Technology

Hearing aids can be divided into three major technologies: conventional, programmable and digital. At the time of your hearing aid evaluation, the audiologist will guide you through the options available to you.

Digital

These hearing aids represent the most current and advanced level of technology available. They provide superior speech understanding and are useful in multiple listening situations. They are especially useful for those with diverse communications needs, and they have maximum flexibility of any of the technologies. Digital hearing aids provide automatic volume control and multiple memories, which means that two or more memories are stored for improved understanding in different listening situations.

Programmable

These hearing aids provide improved speech understanding and are useful in small groups. They are beneficial to those with moderate communication needs. As their name implies, they have a broad range of adjustability, useful to those with progressing or changing hearing losses. Like digital hearing aids, they offer multiple memories and automatic volume control, but they do not offer the levels of precision required for multiple environments that digital solutions provide.

Conventional

These most basic hearing aids provide good understanding in quiet and one-on-one situations. They have limited fine-tuning adjustability, amplifying soft, average and loud sounds equally. With conventional hearing aids, patients often turn up the volume control for soft sounds and turn down the volume control for loud sounds. All minor adjustments are manual; the audiologist must send the hearing aid to the manufacturer whenever large adjustments are necessary.