Advancements in Hearing Aid Technology

Hearing aid technology has advanced in recent years just like most other fields of science and health. This is wonderful news to those who have sustained hearing loss during their lifetimes but don’t want to limit their lifestyles. With technology reaching into almost every aspect of people’s lives, it is only natural that it should also improve hearing restoration devices, and improve quality of life for those affected. Below some of the newest types of hearing aid devices are discussed.

Receiver-in-canal hearing aids (RIC)

These hearing aids are sometimes mistaken for Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids because they look similar, but the receiver is actually placed inside the ear canal, and connected to the behind-the-ear component via a thin tube. The BTE part of the aid is small and relatively inconspicuous.

The main body of the hearing aid is still located on top of and a bit behind the ear, but the speaker portion has been moved to inside the ear canal. The chief benefits of RIC hearing aids are their more compact sizing, and their ability to make sound quality at the eardrum a clearer and more faithful representation of the original sound.

Long-term wear hearing aids

Long-term wear hearing aids such as Lyric, offer relief to people with hearing loss who dislike the obvious visibility and stigma associated with traditional hearing aids. This kind of device can be placed deeply in the ear, where it is not visible and does not interfere with convenience. It can be worn all the time, even at night, for up to four continuous months before being checked by a professional.

Hearing aid development for the future

There is even more research underway on how to make hearing aids more effective in the future. For instance, signal processing strategies are being studied to find the best ways to modify normal sound waves into amplified sound which provides the most usable signal to someone who has experienced hearing loss.

Computer-aided design (CAD) is also being used to try to improve the design of hearing aids to make them more effective. Coupled with this is more research on how to improve sound transmission and reduce noise, feedback, and other interfering sounds which degrade hearing. As technology advances, so will hearing aid devices.