Hearing Aid Styles
A wide variety of hearing aid styles is available,
and new styles continue to be developed. Some styles are more appropriate than others for particular
hearing patterns and communication needs.
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Open Fit
Open fit hearing aids were introduced about 6 years ago, and
have grown in popularity due to their discrete appearance and 'natural' sound. Usually a thin
tube or wire delivers sound from a behind-the-ear hearing aid into the ear canal. There is no
custom ear piece to plug up the ear canal, thus keeping the ear canal 'open'.
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Recently, Resound released a new style of open fit hearing aid
that keeps all the components in the canal and the bowl of the ear, with no part sitting behind the
ear (see picture on left, and their website be by
Resound). |
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Behind-The-Ear
(BTE)
The hearing aid sits behind the ear and attaches via a clear tube to
a custom made earmold that sits in the ear. This style can fit a wide range of hearing loss,
from mild to profound. The BTE style is also a common choice for children since only the
custom earmold needs to be changed as the ear grows, and not the complete hearing aid.
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In-The-Ear (ITE)
The hearing aid is custom made to fit in the bowl of the ear.
Usually there is no problem fitting a volume control and program button on this size.
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Half Shell (HS)
The hearing aid is custom made to fit in part of the bowl of the
ear. Like the the larger ITE style, usually a volume control and program button can be fitted
on this size.
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In-The-Canal (ITC)
The hearing aid is custom made to fit in the ear canal and protrudes
slightly into the bowl of the ear. Often too small to accommodate a volume control, some
hearing aid companies provide an optional remote control that can be used to make volume and
program changes.
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Completely-In -Canal
(CIC)
The hearing aid is custom made to fit entirely in the ear canal. Too
small to accommodate a volume control, some hearing aid manufacturers provide an optional remote
that can be used to make volume and program changes. Usually appropriate for mild to moderate
hearing loss. Some people have small ear canals that do not have enough room for a CIC model
(these people can choose the slightly larger ITC style).
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