The technology behind hearing aids has advanced so much over the last few decades. There are now more options than ever for people that experience hearing loss, and there are a lot of different types of hearing aids to choose from. The type of hearing aids that you use will depend on a number of factors including your lifestyle and the severity of the hearing loss.
Certain types are best suited to mild hearing loss but will not provide adequate help for somebody with more advanced hearing loss. Your audiologist will give you all of the advice you need to help you choose the right hearing aids for you. Read on to learn more about which hearing aids are best for severe hearing loss.
Different Types of Hearing Aids
There are three main types of hearing aids, these are as follows:
- Behind the ear (BTE): They are larger than in-the-ear models and sit behind your ear. These can be used by people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
- In the canal (ITC): They fit into your outer ear opening and work best for those who have mild to moderate hearing loss. These usually do not work well if you have severe hearing loss because they cannot provide much amplification due to the size of the amplifier.
- Completely in canal (CIC): These types of aids are even smaller than in the ear (ITE) instruments so tend only to be recommended for those who have mid-level hearing loss. As their name suggests, they fit right inside your outer ear, but do not protrude out of the opening.
Types of Hearing Loss
There are three main levels of hearing loss: mild, moderate and severe. Your level of hearing loss will determine which type of hearing aid is most effective for you.
Mild hearing loss with this type, you may notice that people sound as if they mumble or that they sometimes fail to speak clearly if they are not facing you directly when talking. People with this degree of loss usually only need a very basic amplifier to make sounds clearer and easier to hear; something like an ITC would be appropriate for them.
Moderate severity, this means that any speech that is not directly in front of you will be difficult to hear. People with this degree of loss sometimes use hearing aids that are placed behind the ear, but they may also benefit from using ITC devices depending on their lifestyle needs.
Severe hearing loss, if you experience severe hearing loss then your ability to perceive speech sounds will be very limited. A CIC or ITE instrument probably won’t work for you because they do not provide enough amplification due to the size of the amplifier inside them. You would need to use an instrument like a BTE device which has larger components, so it is able to provide more amplification than other types of instruments are able to do.
Choosing the Best Hearing Aids for Severe Hearing Loss
The type of hearing aid that you will need to use depends upon many different factors. Your audiologist will be able to help you choose the best type for your needs. In most cases, a BTE device would be the best choice for severe hearing loss. You should try to find a hearing aid that has more than five channels so that you can adjust the settings to make sure sounds are as clear and crisp as possible.
Digital hearing aids tend to be better for those with severe loss because they provide clearer amplification and help reduce background noise, leading to more clarity in what you hear.
However, you also need to consider the added features that the hearing aids provide, as well as the type of hearing aids. For example, many modern hearing aids offer Bluetooth connectivity to connect directly with your TV or music player. A lot of models also have directional microphones that can help you hear conversations better in crowded situations. So, it’s important to consider your lifestyle and the added functionality that you need on your hearing aids on a day-to-day basis.
If you think that you may be experiencing hearing loss and you need some advice about hearing aids from an audiologist, get in touch with Allison Audiology & Hearing Aid Center, P.C. today. Give us a call at Houston: 713-827-1767 today to learn more.
