Hearing aids are lifesavers for those having mild to severe hearing difficulties. These tiny gadgets have gone through years of advancement and are now better than ever before. The old ones were bulky and had a distinct appearance making many shy away from using it. The current hearing aids used have been introduced after digital revolution hit the world.
Digital hearing aids are like miniature computers equipped with programming flexibility. The audiologists at Memorial Hearing, Houston have extensive knowledge on hearing aids. They will assist you in choosing the right one as per your requirement. Fill in their patient intake form and schedule an appointment with them.
Some situations where hearing aids prove beneficial:
The function of the human ear is to process the incoming sound information and make it louder before passing it to the brain. ‘Conductive Loss’ is a common hearing problem that involves only loudness. Either medications or surgery is recommended for conductive loss.
Hearing aids are a great alternative for those whom conductive hearing issues can’t be sorted out by treatments. People with another common hearing problem such as nerve hearing loss find hearings aids useful too.
Types:
The different types are Behind -the-ear, Open-fit, In-the-ear, In-the-canal, Completely-in-the-canal and Extended-wear. They are named based on their placement in the ear. The Extended-wear ones are newest in the market which are fitted in the audiologist’s office and doesn’t require to be removed for months.
How are the digital ones different from analog hearing aids?
Hearing aids consists of microphone, speaker, amplifier and battery. The basic components are the same but digital and analog vary in the way they process sound. The process is straight forward in analog hearing aids and has 3 steps. The microphone picks the sound, makes it louder and sends it to the speaker.
Analog ones amplify all the sounds including background noise. As a result, a person using it hears many unnecessary sounds along with voice. In digital ones, an extra step is involved. The sound waves are transformed to digital before amplifying it.
Their advantages are
- These aids differentiate between speech and sound and reduce feedback
- Sleeker, smaller and less noticeable
- They can be customized according to an individual’s hearing needs
- Filters out unnecessary noise
- Has features to automatically adjust the volume based on the environment
The advanced hearing aids used today are extremely useful even for those who have an active social and business lifestyle due to its exceptional performance. Try them for yourself and feel the difference.