Today’s hi-tech hearing aids can help 90% of those with hearing loss.

Hearing aids used to be burdensome and uncomfortable, but this is not the case anymore. Today’s products are stylish and comfortable while delivering superior sound quality that can be customized to each individual patient.

Digital Sound Quality
Modern hearing aids have the capacity to deliver digital sound quality that enhances the listening experience. Digital aids help reduce squelch and background noise for enhanced clarity. The quality of sound that is delivered is more realistic than in years past as well. Previously, hearing devices delivered sounds that were much like recordings, but modern equipment provides realistic sound that mimics live conversation.

Easy to Fit
Having a listening device properly fitted used to be difficult. It typically required an audiologist to make a mold of the patient’s ear in order to achieve a custom fit. Many of today’s models are simple for the user to adjust, so a custom fit can be achieved quickly and easily. Hearing aids are smaller and more lightweight, which also adds to a patient’s comfort level while wearing them. Since the fit can easily be adjusted at home, patients can make temporary fitting changes themselves whenever they feel the need to do so.

Advanced technology now allows doctors to surgically implant a hearing aid in individuals with especially narrow ear canals. In order to do this, doctors insert a titanium screw into an ear bone and then attach a processor to this hardware. This type of hearing aid is capable of processing sound much like an ear naturally does. Unlike older hearing aids, this model does not interfere with radio frequencies, and it also works to filter background noise. It is capable of lasting for around 15 years before needing to be replaced.

Bluetooth Hearing Aids
People who have moderate hearing loss can benefit from using Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids.  When a hearing aid is equipped with this technology, patients are able to use wireless devices such as cell phones with ease. Bluetooth-enabled devices also allow communication between two hearing aids, and this is important whenever an individual wears one of these devices in each ear. When listening to music, both ears receive sound simultaneously, so there are no muffled noises on one side or the other.

Individually Programmed
Unlike traditional models, modern hearing aids can be programmed to the specific needs of an individual user. First, an audiogram is taken and the results are analyzed to determine where a patient has hearing loss. Digital devices can then be programmed to recognize certain types of sounds or to amplify certain ranges in pitch. Some models can even be programmed to recognize distinct speech patterns such as the pronunciation of certain letters or combinations of letters. A licensed audiologist can tweak the programming as needed to provide the best possible sound quality for each user.

Automatic Adjustment
Digital models have the unique capability of adjusting to the environment. For example, whenever a person is in an exceptionally noisy area, the device may automatically go to work filtering this background noise. Whenever the individual enters a quiet location, this mechanism is disabled until it is needed again.  Some hearing aids might also increase the volume of speech in order to make it more prominent. This means a user may need to make fewer adjustments to his or her listening device to get the greatest benefit from it.

Hearing aid technology is rapidly evolving, and new technology is constantly being developed as well. People who have an older device may want to invest in a more modern one, as sound quality and comfort have improved tremendously over the last few years.

Tags: digital hearing aids, hearing aid technology, hearing loss