Hearing Aid Types & Styles
What are the different types of hearing aids and which one will be best for me?
Hearing aids come in a range of sizes, shapes and styles. Your hearing practitioner may suggest that one of the following hearing aids is suitable to help manage your hearing needs.
Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids:
These are worn behind the ear and are attached to a traditional mould or slim tube that sits inside the ear. They are discreet and easy to clean and maintain. Suitable for all types of hearing loss and dexterity abilities.
Receiver in the Canal (RIC / RITE / CRT)
This style of hearing aid looks like the slim tube mini BTEs but contains a speaker inside the ear tip rather than in the main body of the instrument. This provides a smoother amplification and improves the sound quality significantly. As an “open fitting” option, Receiver In the Canal hearing aids can provide a more natural sound quality, better localisation and better speech clarity in noisy situations.
Custom In-The-Ear (ITE) and In-The-Canal (ITC) Hearing Aids:
These hearing aids fit into the ear canal at various depths and have no over the ear parts. They are suitable for all types of hearing loss.
Completely In The Canal (CIC) Hearing Aids:
These are small and fit deeply into the ear canal. Some of these aids have automatic features or a remote control so people can adjust the settings easily. They are now suitable for all types of hearing loss, but may not be suitable for people with very narrow or "bendy" ear canals or those who have difficulty using their hands.
Invisible In The Canal (IIC) Hearing Aids:
These are the smallest custom aid available and fit even deeper into the ear canal than other custom aids. As the name suggests, they are invisible* because they sit deep in the second bend of the ear canal. IIC aids are suitable for most types of hearing loss, but the shape of your ear canal determines size and placement in the canal.
Alternatives to standard Hearing Aids:
People with more specific hearing needs may benefit from other devices. These include bone conductor aids, spectacle aids, or Assistvie Listening devices for Television etc.
People with single sided deafness can benefit from a CROS device. A CROS device is worn in conjunction with a traditional aid and will transmit sound and voices from your bad ear to let your good ear hear it.
Want to know more?
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