You may have been considering a hearing aid but were worried about how they look or work. Manufacturers of hearing aids are constantly making amplification units that are smaller and smaller. Today, hearing aids have many special features, such as the price, size and how they are placed in the ear. Behind the ear models are the most popular and offer a wide range of options. In the ear devices take up the most of the outer ear opening. Completely in-the-canal hearing aids are the smallest and fit inside the ear canal.
How do hearing aids work?
Hearing aids use small microphones to carry sounds from the environment into your ear. A computer chip converts the incoming sound and adjusts the sound level based on the patient's hearing loss and listening needs. The amplified signals are converted back to sound waves and delivered to ears using built-in speakers.
Hearing aids can't restore normal hearing but they can improve your hearing by amplifying soft sounds. Getting used to them can take time but your listening skills should improve gradually as you become accustomed to the amplification of sounds. Our ENT doctors can perform tests to determine whether traditional hearing aids, cochlear implants, or bone anchored hearing devices could help you.
Surgically-Attached Cochlear Implants
Cochlear implants are surgically-attached electronic hearing aids that convert acoustic sounds into electrical pulses that can directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Children and adults who had speech and language skills prior to their hearing loss generally adapt to cochlear implants more easily. Previously deaf children always receive training to ensure they develop spoken language skills. Bone anchored hearing aids are surgically embedded in the bone behind the ear for transmission of sound directly to the inner ear.
