![]() Here, the receiver (the speaker that sends sounds to the inner ear) is inside the ear canal. This type goes by various names, including receiver-in-the-canal (RIC), receiver-in-the-ear (RITE), receiver-in-the-aid (RITA), and canal receiver technology (CRT). The majority (71 percent) of the hearing aids were mini-behind-the-ear types. In spring 2018 we asked more than 122,000 Consumer Reports members about their experiences with hearing loss and hearing aids. That kind of variation makes comparing hearing aid models and brands very challenging.ĭigital hearing aids come in five major styles and are categorized by where on or in the ear they’re worn. “It’s going to bring people back to hearing, but because of the way we process sound, it’s not going to bring them back to normal hearing,” says audiologist Patricia Chute, EdD, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Dalton State College in Dalton, Ga.Īnd even within the same brand, there can be several versions of a given model. Most hearing aids will never completely remove background noise and allow you to hear only the person-or people-talking. However, a hearing aid that one person likes might not work for someone else, even if both have almost identical audiograms (charts that show the degree of hearing loss for low-, middle-, and high-pitched sounds). The right hearing aid for you depends on several factors, including the type and severity of your hearing loss, your lifestyle, and your manual dexterity. More and more models can sync wirelessly with your smartphone, enabling you to take calls, stream audio, and even adjust your aid’s settings using an app. That can make them more user-friendly.)Ī hearing professional can program a digital aid to filter out wind and other background noise, as well as fine-tune the aid to match your specific hearing loss pattern. (Though analog aids are less common and less complex than digital aids, they do have advantages, including fewer advanced features. In modern digital aids, microphones transmit sound to a computer chip, which adjusts the volume and amplifies the sound frequencies needed to help improve your hearing. Hearing aids have a microphone to pick up sound, an amplifier to make sound louder, and a receiver that sends the sound into the ear canal. ![]() But hearing aids may significantly improve your ability to hear by making sounds louder and easier to understand. Once hair cells in the inner ear are dead, there’s no bringing them back. For example, age-related hearing loss plus wax in the middle ear can interfere with sound conduction to the inner ear. Older adults sometimes have a mix of two types of loss. Removing the wax buildup in the outer ear, treating infections in the middle ear, and, in the case of malformations, having corrective surgery typically restore hearing. Impacted earwax, fluid buildup in the middle ear from an infection, and certain disorders can block sound from reaching the inner ear and brain. This is less common and often occurs as a result of a physical blockage or malformation in the middle or outer ear. ![]() Cases of severe hearing loss or hearing loss in only one ear can be managed with cochlear implants, which electrically stimulate the auditory nerve by bypassing the damaged portions of the hearing system. The brain interprets the signals as meaningful sounds.Īging and chronic exposure to loud noises are the most common causes of damage, but certain medications, illnesses, and a family history of hearing loss can also increase your risk.Īlthough sensorineural hearing loss is often not reversible, it can be managed with hearing aids, which selectively amplify sounds. ![]() These cells convert incoming sound waves into electrical signals that are then shuttled to the brain. The most common type of hearing loss, called sensorineural, often stems from damage to the tiny hair cells that line the inner ear.
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