Quality hearing aids are a needed item when you suffer from hearing loss or complete deafness. For many people, hearing aids are the best option for getting back to a high quality of life. The options available today are tiny technological wonders that many rely on to continue with daily life. As an item needed for a range of reasons and levels of severity, many options are available to suit every preference, budget, type of hearing loss as well as overall lifestyle.

All digital hearing aids are made up of certain components, including at least one microphone to pick up sound, a computer chip that amplifies and processes the sound, a speaker that sends the signal to your ear and a battery for power. When you consult with a medical professional regarding hearing aids, they will consider many elements of your disability as well as your situation in life, helping to guide you towards the best possible hearing aid options for you. These technology-driven devices can be classified into two main groups: in-the-ear (ITE) types and behind-the-ear (BTE) types – each group with its own sizes and specifications.

The following quality hearing aids are considered ITE styles. Their sizes range from virtually invisible when worn to filling the entire bowl of the ear.

Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids are the smallest hearing aids made at the moment. Being placed deep within the ear canal, these are usually used when dealing with mild hearing loss. Due to their small size, these are preferred cosmetically as there is minimal showing, hiding the earpiece well. In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids sit in the lower area of the outer ear bowl, making them comfortable and easy to use. As these models are slightly larger than IIC and CIC types, they have an extended battery life, are easier to handle and can fit a wider range of hearing losses. Low-profile hearing aids range from half-shell designs that fill half the bowl of the ear, to designs that fill almost the entire outer ear bowl. Low-profile hearing aids are quite large, allowing them to feature helpful elements to better hearing – like directional microphones, volume controls and program buttons.

Behind-the-ear typed of quality hearing aids have grown in popularity recently, often not the preferred option before as they were easy to see and bulky on the ear. Thanks to the innovations that allow the tiniest BTE hearing aids to be designed and made, some of the most cosmetically appealing products have been created. Boasting extremely thin ear tubes and ear tips that feed into the ear canal. They have enough physical space to house features for a selection of hearing loss types, have ample battery life and are easy to handle.

Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) or receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids have the speaker unit built into the ear tip rather than placed on the main body of the aid. This allows the speaker of the hearing aid to be positioned closer to the eardrum while the microphone and processor sit in a tiny case behind the ear. This increases feed to the ear drum and is thus better suited to harsher cases of hearing loss.

Nearly all modern hearing aids today are digital, requiring some sort of professional fitting as well as programming by a verified medical practitioner. These hearing aids offer far greater flexibility than previous generations because the programmer can set them to amplify the exact frequencies needed for each individual.

For a full range of high-quality items, or to find out more about your potential options, contact Paarl Hearing Centre today.