Kenneth R. Bouchard, Ph.D.
Michigan Ear Institute
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that catches sound and delivers it to one’s ear after several modifications of the original sounds have been made. The sound usually is made louder so the person with a hearing loss has a better chance of hearing it. But many other modifications of the sound may also be made. These modifications are to shape that incoming sound so that it is most useful for a damaged ear. Every person’s hearing loss is unique. Thus, an appropriate amplification device must be designed to meet those different hearing losses.
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| Hearing aids, even the newest Digital, come in a complete range of styles. |
Technology is constantly changing. The hearing aids of today are very different from those of just a few years ago. The most noticeable change is size. We can do more things in smaller packages powered by ever smaller and smaller batteries. Yes, hearing aids need power. Actually lots of it to do all the things a hearing aid does to that sound entering the ear.
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| Behind the Ear Hearing Aid with Mold |
The type and amount of hearing loss does effect the style of a hearing aid chosen. The audiologist must take many things into account to determine if a particular style is appropriate for your loss.
Do I need one hearing aid or two? Ideally, every hearing impaired person should wear two hearing aids. Today, we would not consider wearing a pair of eye glasses that contained only one lens for one eye. Yet people are often surprised to learn that two hearing aids will provide better hearing. Yes, there are exceptions. These are actually quite rare and depend on the level of hearing for one ear compared to the other.
When we use a hearing aid only in one ear it is as if we only have one ear. We have two ears for many reasons. Two ears help us to hear from all sides, not just from one restricted area. Two ears help us hear speech in noise situations like restaurants or parties with lots of people talking. Our brain must compare the information from different angles to help filter the unwanted sounds from those we need to hear. Two ears help us hear those quiet sounds. This is very important when we need some amplification but not too much amplification. Many loud sounds can be very loud and this is even more striking for many indivinuals with a hearing loss.
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| In the Ear Hearing Aids |
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| In the Canal Hearing Aids |
See your audiologist and ask the specific questions about hearing aids that will relate to your hearing loss.