Small and Discreet: CIC Digital Hearing Aid |
04.07.2009 01:54 |
| When individuals discover that they have a hearing loss that
needs a hearing aid, they often become concerned about the stigma attached
to having a hearing aid hooked to the back of the ear which is fairly
obvious to everyone around them. Although the components of hearing aids
have become much smaller in recent years due to advances in technology,
most hearing aids can be easily seen by others, causing some insecurity in
individuals that need them. There are some hearing aids on the market
today that can be used by individuals who have mild to moderate hearing
losses and are nearly invisible to the naked eye: ITC (in the canal) and
CIC (completely in the canal) digital hearing aids.
Advantages
There are many advantages to using a CIC digital hearing aid, even though they are usually more expensive than other hearing aids. CIC digital hearing aids are fit specifically to the individual's ear canal so that it stays in place during the course of each day. There are many features that are available with the CIC digital hearing aids that are not necessarily available with other types. For instance, there is the ability to use the hearing aid with a telephone as well as listening with a headset, so that it is compatible with the telephone technology that is on the market today.
The CIC digital hearing aids also provide sound benefits to the individuals who use them, such as reducing sound distortion. These digital hearing aids also help to provide increased gain to individuals as well as helping to reduce the amount of feedback that is experienced from contractions in the jaw as well as standing too close to certain objects. The CIC digital hearing aids also usually use a directional microphone so that when individuals are in a quiet area, they have the omni directional microphone so that more sounds can be heard, but when in a crowded setting, it will change to the directional microphone so that sounds from the environment are excluded and the sounds close by are amplified.
There are some disadvantages to using the CIC digital hearing aid other than the cost and that only mild to moderate hearing impaired individuals can use them. One is that the battery that can be used is small and does not last as long, thus requiring changing it more often. This can be difficult for those with limited manual dexterity since the hearing aid is small and the battery compartment even smaller. In addition, since the CIC digital hearing aid fits in the ear canal, it can become clogged with ear wax and ear drainage and will need to be cleaned in a hearing aid repair shop. | |
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