How Do Hearing Aids Work With Sound?

How can a little device like a hearing aid, simply popped into you ear, produce sound? Loss of hearing really does affect your life. With the help of electronics you can improve your hearing. This is the way to get your life back to as normal as possible. There are many different models available. The basic principle of how they function is the same. They pick up sound and amplify it so you can hear. All hearing aids have a microphone, a receiver, electronics, and a battery to power it. The more modern devices allow more personalized settings.

Analogue aids simply make the sounds it picks up louder. Loudness is controlled by the wearer. Programmable analogue aids have more options than the basic analogue model. These can be preset by an audiologist. It will be done according to what you want. For example, you may want a setting for the cinema, or both quiet and noisy backgrounds. You can change these by a switch located on the device. Digital hearing aids use a more advanced technology that analyzes sounds first. It is then adjusted to the preferences of the wearer. They are more pricy than the analogue devices. With analogue, programmable analogue and digital units, they all send the sounds to a receiver. This is found inside the inner ear.

BTE’s are located behind the ear. A unit is placed behind the ear and impels the sounds to an ear mold inside the ear. The two are connected by a discreet tube. In the Ear – ITE’s do not have a unit outside the ear. They are smaller and fit entirely inside the inner ear. Although they are more fragile, they have more choices available. Like a Telecoil, this enables the unit to be used with a telephone. In the Canal aids – ITC and Completely in The Canal – CIC’s are worn inside the ear canal itself. These are the tiniest and can be precisely set to the person’s needs. A ‘Bone Conduction’ hearing aid is surgically implanted and works differently to the others. This is for those suffering severe hearing loss, and when the ear canal is blocked or damaged irreparably.

The ‘Bone Conduction’ aid picks up sounds via a microphone. It does not send the signal to a receiver inside the ear. It passes the sounds to an ‘oscillator’ that sits next to the skull, connected to the auditory nerve. These vibrations are understood by the brain as sounds. This type of hearing aid is only used as a last resort. They are only given to those who have no other choice. Consult your audiologist if you think you need a hearing aid. They will be able to advise you on which model suits your particular needs.