FAQs
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What are hearing aids?
Hearing aids are small electronic devices that you wear in or behind your ears. They make sounds louder so that a person with hearing loss can listen, communicate, and participate more fully in daily activities. Hearing aids can help people hear more effectively in both quiet and noisy situations. However, only about one out of five people who would benefit from hearing aids actually uses them.
Hearing aids have three basic parts: a microphone, amplifier and speaker. Hearing aids receive sound through the microphones, which convert the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and then sends them to the ears through a speakers.
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How can hearing aids help?
Hearing aids are primarily useful in improving the hearing and speech comprehension of people who have hearing loss that results from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear, called hair cells. This type of hearing loss is called sensorineural hearing loss. The damage can occur as a result of disease, aging, or injury from noise or certain medicines.
Hearing aids magnify sound vibrations entering the ears. Surviving hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them into neural signals that are passed along to the brain. The greater the damage to a person's hair cells, the more severe the hearing loss and the greater the hearing aid amplification needed to make up the difference. There are practical limits to the amount of amplification that hearing aids can provide. If the inner ear is too damaged, even large vibrations will not be converted into neural signal and hearing aids would be ineffective.
How can I find out if I need hearing aids?
If you think you might have hearing loss and could benefit from hearing aids, visit your family physician, who may refer you to an otolaryngologist or audiologist. An otolaryngologist is a physician who specializes in ear, nose, and throat disorders. Doctors of audiology specialize in the evaluation and treatment of hearing, tinnitus and balance problems.
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Are there different styles of hearing aids?
There are three basic styles of hearing aids. The styles differ by size, their placement on or inside the ear, and the degree to which they amplify sound.
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Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn behind the ears and the sound is directed to earmolds with plastic tubes. The electronic parts are held in the cases behind the ears. They may incorporate wireless receivers, remote controls, volume controls and other features and can be used for all types of hearing loss.
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Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) or open-fit hearing aids fit behind the ears with a narrow wires or tubes connecting the amplifier units to small domes or speakers in the ear canals, enabling the canals to remain open. Open-fit hearing aids combine natural and amplified sound and are easier to adjust to than fittings that plug the ears. This is among the smallest and most cosmetically appealing of all of the styles of hearing aids and can be used for all types of hearing loss. They may incorporate wireless receivers, remote controls, volume controls and other features.
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In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids fill part or all of the outer ears, with no tubes, wires or parts behind the ears. They may be easier to handle for some patients with dexterity problems and have room to incorporate wireless receivers, remote controls, volume controls and other features. They are used for all types of hearing loss.
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Canal (ITC) hearing aids are the smallest hearing aids, fitting into the ear canal. They are the most cosmetic, work well with the phone and pick up less wind noise than other styles, but require better dexterity to insert, remove and maintain. They can be used for all types of hearing loss but have fewer available features, such as switches and volume controls, due to their small size.
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Which hearing aid will work best for me?
The selection of the best hearing aids for you will depend on your hearing loss, the physical dimensions of your ears, your manual dexterity and your lifestyle needs. Most people have hearing loss in both ears and hear better with two (binaural) hearing aids in order to optimize speech understanding and the correct location of sound.
You and your audiologist will select the hearing aids that best suit your needs and lifestyle. Price is also a key consideration because hearing aids vary according to technology level. Generally, the more hearing loss you have and the more active you are, the more technology you will need to achieve a satisfactory result. Don't use price alone to determine the best hearing aids for you. Just because one hearing aid is more expensive than another does not necessarily mean that it will better suit your needs.
Realistic expectations are an important element of satisfaction with hearing aids. Hearing aids will not restore your normal hearing, but with consistent use will enable you to function well in many communication environments, from watching television to dining out. You will want to wear your hearing aids regularly, so select models that are comfortable, convenient and easy for you to use. Other features to consider include parts or services covered by the warranty, estimated schedule and costs for maintenance and repair, options and upgrade opportunities, and the hearing aid company's reputation for quality and customer service.
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What questions should I ask before buying a hearing aid?
Before you buy hearing aids, ask your audiologist these important questions:
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What features would be most useful to me?
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What is the total cost of the hearing aids? Do the benefits of newer technologies outweigh the higher costs?
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Is there an evaluation period to test the hearing aids? (Most manufacturers allow a 30- to 60-day return) What fees are nonrefundable if the aids are returned after the trial period?
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How long is the warranty? Can it be extended? Does the warranty cover future maintenance and repairs?
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Can the audiologist make adjustments and provide servicing and minor repairs? Will loaner aids be provided when repairs are needed?
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What instruction does the audiologist provide?
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How can I adjust to my hearing aids?
Hearing aids take time and patience to use successfully. Wearing your aids regularly will help you adjust to them.
Become familiar with your hearing aids' features. With your audiologist present, practice putting in and taking out the aids, cleaning them, identifying right and left aids and replacing the batteries. Ask how to test it in listening environments where you have problems with hearing. Learn to adjust the aids' volume and to program it for sounds that are too loud or too soft. Work with your audiologist until you are comfortable and satisfied.
You may experience some of the following problems as you adjust to wearing your new aids.
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My hearing aids feel uncomfortable. Some individuals may find hearing aids to be slightly uncomfortable at first. Ask your audiologist how long you should wear them while you are adjusting to them.
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My voice sounds too loud. The "plugged-up" sensation that causes a hearing aid user's voice to sound louder inside the head is called the occlusion effect, and it is very common for new hearing aid users. Check with your audiologist to see if a correction is possible. Most individuals get used to this effect over time.
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I get feedback from my hearing aids. A whistling sound can be caused by hearing aids that do not fit or work well or are clogged by earwax or fluid. See your audiologist for adjustments.
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I hear background noise. Hearing aids do not completely separate the sounds you want to hear from the ones you do not want to hear. Talk with your audiologist to determine if adjustments might help.
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I hear a buzzing sound when I use my cell phone. Some people who wear hearing aids or have implanted hearing devices experience problems with the radio frequency interference caused by digital cell phones. Both hearing aids and cell phones are improving, however, so these problems are occurring less often. When you are being fitted with new hearing aids, take your cell phone with you to rule out any problems.
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How can I care for my hearing aids?
Proper maintenance and care will extend the life of your hearing aids. Make it a habit to:
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Keep hearing aids away from heat and moisture.
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Clean hearing aids as instructed. Earwax and ear drainage can damage hearing aids.
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Avoid using hairspray or other hair care products while wearing hearing aids.
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Turn off hearing aids when they are not in use.
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Replace dead batteries immediately.
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Keep replacement batteries and small aids away from children and pets.
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Can I obtain financial assistance for hearing aids?
Hearing aids are generally not covered by health insurance companies, although some do. Financing is usually available. Medicaid and the Lions Hearing Aid Bank are options for those who qualify.
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What research is being done on hearing aids?
Researchers are looking at ways to apply new signal processing strategies to the design of hearing aids. Signal processing is the method used to modify normal sound waves into amplified sound that is the best possible match to the remaining hearing for a hearing aid user. NIDCD-funded researchers also are studying how hearing aids can enhance speech signals to improve understanding.
In addition, researchers are investigating the use of computer-aided technology to design and manufacture better hearing aids. Researchers also are seeking ways to improve sound transmission and to reduce noise interference, feedback, and the occlusion effect. Additional studies focus on the best ways to select and fit hearing aids in children and other groups whose hearing ability is hard to test.
Another promising research focus is to use lessons learned from animal models to design better microphones for hearing aids. NIDCD-supported scientists are studying the tiny fly Ormia ochracea because its ear structure allows the fly to determine the source of a sound easily. Scientists are using the fly's ear structure as a model for designing miniature directional microphones for hearing aids.
These microphones amplify the sound coming from a particular direction (usually the direction a person is facing), but not the sounds that arrive from other directions. Directional microphones hold great promise for making it easier for people to hear a single conversation, even when surrounded by other noises and voices.
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