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TRANSMITTING SOUND THROUGH BONE

Conductive hearing loss occurs when sounds are not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, called ossicles, of the middle ear. Patients who experience conductive hearing loss primarily use bone anchored hearing instruments to assist them in hearing better. This is also the choice for those who have […]

OUT OF SIGHT, TOTALLY IN MIND

The greatest advantage of a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid is that it can be worn virtually undetected. For this reason alone, CIC instruments are among the most popular choices for those who are in need of their unique properties. Not only do CICs have a cosmetic advantage, they have also been noted to impart the […]

THE BENEFITS OF TWO HEARING AIDS

Those with hearing loss in both ears benefit most from wearing a hearing aid in each ear. Being fitted with “binaural” hearing instruments provides the listener with a better ability to locate sounds. This increased “localizing” capability occurs by being able to differentiate between the spatial location of the desired speaker and undesired noise. When […]

AVOIDING WAXY BUILDUPS

It is especially important for hearing instrument users to avoid earwax (cerumen) buildup. Accumulations of the fatty substance produced by the sweat glands inside the ear not only damage the hearing instrument, but they also can reduce its effectiveness by blocking sound, causing feedback, and producing poor fit. Left to its own devices, earwax will […]

THE RITE STUFF

The most popular hearing instrument is the “receiver-in-the-ear” (RITE) type, which is also referred to as a “receiver-in-canal” (RIC) instrument. While these types of instruments are similar to “behind-the-ear” (BTE) hearing instruments, they differ in important ways.  While a BTE instrument houses all the components in a single case that rests behind the ear, RITE/RIC […]

GETTING A REAL CHARGE

Whether you use a cell phone or wear a hearing instrument, you want to get the most life out of the batteries that make them work. With this in mind, take care to store them in a cool, dry place. While overheating can lead to loss of energy, leaking, and rupture, there is no advantage […]

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

“Personal sound amplification products” (PSAPs) are over-the-counter hearing assistance devices that include software and tools ranging from smartphone apps to wireless headsets. While they tend to be less expensive than conventional hearing instruments, they are not considered to be medical devices and do not meet the same standards. PSAPs also do not require diagnostic testing […]

COOL, CALM, AND CONNECTED

Judging by how much young people rely on their smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices to stay connected, they may envy the Bluetooth capabilities of their parents’ and grandparents’ hearing instruments. Bluetooth is a wireless communication platform that allows for the transfer of data between two or more electronic devices. It can be accessed by […]

BREAKING THE FEEDBACK CYCLE

One of the primary complaints of older hearing instruments revolved around the problem of “acoustic feedback,” which occurs when some of the amplified sound leaks from the ear canal back into the microphone and becomes re-amplified. This cycle of leakage and re-amplification (known as the “feedback cycle”) results in a loud squealing sound that wearers […]

THE SMALLEST OF THE SMALL

For those who are intent on wearing a hearing instrument that is so tiny that they will be the only ones to know that they are wearing one, there is the “Invisible-in-the-Canal” (IIC) hearing instrument. These instruments, which are custom-fitted from impressions of the wearer’s ear canal, are positioned so deeply inside the ear that […]