Types of Hearing Aids
Hearing Aid Technology
The
human ear does not just make sounds louder but it also process the sound
information before transmitting it to the brain. Some hearing
losses only involve the loudness of sound. These are called a
"Conductive Loss". A hearing aid will be expected to
greatly benefit these patients. However, many of the conductive
losses can also be treated with medications or surgery.
As
we grow older, "nerve" or
inner ear
hearing losses become more
common and often involve the processing of sound. Hearing aids
will help these losses but rarely restores the hearing to a normal
condition.
Luckily, hearing aids have come along way
in the last decade. Improved filters and circuits have resulted in
greater benefit to patients and improved patient usage. The new
digital hearing aids closely match the patient's hearing loss and
provides even greater help in the understanding of sounds.
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Hearing Aid Technology
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All hearing aids, including digital hearing aids, are made up of a
microphone, a receiver, and an amplifier. The arrangement of these
components and type of components determine how you hear with a hearing aid.
The least complex amplifier is a fixed analog signal processor. The
sound is taken in through the microphone and amplified by the signal
processor. The signal processor determines how much the sound is
amplified, the slope the sounds are amplified, and the overall output of the
hearing aid. The amplified signal is converted to sound with the
receiver. Trim pots for low cut and high cut for frequency response is
possible with fixed analog amplifiers to help better shape the sound to better
fit your hearing loss, however these are difficult to add to the small
completely-in-the-canal hearing aids and the shaping of the sound will not
completely match the pattern of the hearing loss.
The next technological step is a programmable analog signal processor.
This amplifier works in much the same way the fixed amplifier, however it can be
shaped and tuned via a computer connection which makes it possible to adjust
even the smallest of hearing aids. Typically there are controls to adjust
high cut, low cut, gain, output, compression, and knee point. These are
far superior hearing aids to the hearing aids of 10 years ago.
The newest technological advancement in hearing aids is programmable digital
signal processors. These digital hearing aids, features patented
algorithms based on new, advanced understanding of human hearing that delivers a
more natural, lifelike listening and communication experience. unlike the
programmable analog signal processor the programmable digital signal processor
is a tiny microprocessor (computer) that receives the sound form the microphone
and shapes it with a computer than delivers the sound to the receiver into the
ear. The sound is much more natural in quality. These hearing aids
can be made in any style and are some of the smallest we have seen and without a
doubt the most adjustable on the market today.
There are different levels of digital hearing aids available with the most
advanced offering features such as feedback management, multi-channel expansion,
adaptive noise management and wide dynamic range compression.
Advantages of the
Different Types of Hearing Aids
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Hearing aids come in many different styles and models. The four
physical style of hearing aids are BTE (behind-the-ear), ITE (in-the-ear), ITC
(in-the-canal), and CIC (completely-in-the-canal). Generally speaking, the
smaller the hearing aid the more expensive it will be. The BTE and ITE are
usually the least expensive with the ITC and CIC hearing aids more expensive.
All types are available in analog, programmable and digital
models.
