A hearing aid is a device that helps someone who has trouble hearing. Hearing aids today are electronic instruments that receive and amplify sounds. The first hearing aids are now known as body worn aids. They are bulky instruments about the size of a deck of cards that are designed to be carried in a pocket. A wire connects the hearing aid to an earphone. Body worn aids are seldom used anymore, except occasionally in the case of very severe hearing loss.
The most common hearing aid type today is the behind the ear aid, or BTE. A behind the ear hearing aid consists of a case that clips behind the ear and is connected directly by plastic sound tubes to a custom molded earpiece. BTE’s are used for a wide range of hearing losses. Behind the ear hearing aids generally have a larger battery than other types of hearing aids, allowing them to be more powerful and have a longer life.
With improved technology and miniaturization of electronics, the next generation of hearing aids, in the ear or ITE, became possible. These aids fit in the outer ear bowl. ITE’s can be visible to the casual observer. They are also the largest of the custom made styles, and are often the most comfortable, cheapest and simplest to use. Smaller that the in the ear hearing aid is the in the canal, or ITC hearing aid. These aids are usually more expensive than ITE’s, and are also harder to adjust owing to the small size of the volume wheel. Going even smaller we find the mini canal, or MC hearing aid. These are the smallest hearing aid you can get that still have a volume adjustment wheel.
The tiniest hearing aids made are the completely in the canal, or CIC hearing aids. They fit so deeply into the ear that they require a removal string. CIC’s do not usually have manual controls simply because of their size.
Combining some of the attributes of the behind the ear and the completely in the canal hearing aids are the post auricular canal devices. This design physically separates the processor from the earpiece. The small processor fits behind the ear, while the receiver and speaker portion is imbedded in the earpiece which is placed deep in the ear canal.
Choosing a type of hearing aid is usually making a trade-off between size, price and flexibility.
The largest hearing aids used today, the BTE’s, are generally the cheapest, most powerful, easiest to adjust and the most durable. However, they are also the most conspicuous. BTE’s tend to be the best choice for children, however, owing to their durability and the ability to replace the earpiece as the child grows. Other types of hearing aids would have to be replaced periodically when the child outgrows them.