Today's hearing aids come in many styles and offer features and technologies that weren't available in previous years. For the millions of Americans who have hearing loss, hearing aids are often the best option to help correct untreated hearing loss and regain a high quality of life. All hearing aids use the same basic parts to bring sounds from the environment into the ear and make them louder. Most hearing aids are digital and all work with a traditional hearing aid battery or a rechargeable battery.
While hearing aids and PSAPs amplify sound for the user, the products have different intended uses. Hearing aids are designed to compensate for hearing impairment. PSAPs, on the other hand, are intended for people with normal hearing to amplify sounds in certain situations, such as recreational activities such as bird watching or hunting. Over the past decade or so, hearing aid technology has completely exploded.
Hearing aids are no longer the gigantic, bulky, beige they used to be. In fact, today's hearing aids are incredibly small and discreet, and equipped with exceptionally powerful technology, all designed to make your life easier and less stressful. Many major manufacturers have even designed hearing aids that are completely and 100% invisible when inserted into the ear canal. The amount of wax accumulated in the ear (excessive amounts of wax or moisture may prevent the use of in-ear hearing aids).
The company's hearing aids can be paired with a smartphone app that allows you to adjust the settings or volume from your phone. Eargo is known for its small, rechargeable hearing aids that are almost invisible when placed in the ear canal. This can improve the quality of telephone conversations or help you hear in environments that use special sound systems, such as auditoriums. Although hearing loss in adults is usually due to aging or exposure to noise, the reasons for hearing loss in children are more varied and may be associated with other medical conditions that require medical evaluation and treatment.
Hearing aids vary greatly in price, size, special features and the way they are placed in the ear. In-ear hearing aids are located on the outside of the ear canal and are custom-made to fit the shape of the ear. Small hearing aids may also require more battery changes, as they can only hold a small battery and the compact size may result in fewer functions. You will also see an audiologist who will test you to determine the type of hearing loss you have and how severe it is.
Hearing aids have one or two microphones to pick up sound, and most have an amplifier to increase the volume of the sound and a speaker to produce amplified sound in the ear. Because surgery is required to implant any of these devices, many hearing specialists believe that the benefits do not outweigh the risks. It depends on the type of hearing aid you use, but you can usually clean them with a damp cloth to remove any larger debris. Important decisions include whether the device will have rechargeable batteries or batteries that need to be replaced, and whether the hearing aid will be placed behind or inside the ear.
They might help you listen to someone in a face-to-face conversation because of the noise around you, for example.