Digital Hearing Aids

You have probably heard something about digital hearing aids. Digital hearing aid instruments are the best technology offered by the hearing aid industry today...the top of the pyramid...state of the art. They are now available from virtually every hearing aid manufacturer in all sizes and in various levels of sophistication.


These modern day hearing aids have a lot of advanced features. There is a hearing aid suitable for everyone, regardless of your budget and hearing requirement.Digital hearing aids offer more advantages over the older, analog version. Many hearing aid manufacturers no longer produce analog models and focus all of their attention on producing newer digital models.
Prices of digital hearing aids have fallen, which is another reason why analog hearing aids are dying out.


Analogue Hearing Aids-Do not distinguish different sounds and therefore amplify all sounds equally, which means some sounds, are too loud while others may be difficult to hear. This is rectified when the hearing aid user adjusts the volume
Programmable analogue hearing aids are equipped with different programs that are saved in the aid. The programs are then switched depending on the listening environment. As an example, one program will work during a conversation, while the other may work best while in the theatre.


Digital Hearing Aids-Translate sound to digital code, change it and re-transmit it back by using mathematical calculations.Duplicates sound transmission.Produces a high quality sound that is extremely accurate.

Digital Hearing Aids

Hearing Aids Technology

Conventional hearing aids today come in two flavors: analog, or digital. Although digital hearing aids are capturing most of the market, some deaf and hard of hearing consumers prefer analog.

Wireless hearing aids - Recent hearing aids include wireless hearing aids. One hearing aid can transmit to the other side so that pressing one aid's program button simultaneously changes the other aid and both aids change background settings simultaneously. FM listening systems are now emerging with wireless receivers integrated with the use of hearing aids. A separate wireless microphone can be given to a partner to wear in a restaurant, in the car, during leisure time, in the shopping mall, at lectures, or during religious services. The voice is transmitted wirelessly to the hearing aids eliminating the effects of distance and background noise. FM systems have shown to give the best speech understanding in noise of all available technologies. FM systems can also be hooked up to a TV or a stereo

Direct Audio Input (DAI) :A DAI plug on the end of a cable allows the hearing aid to be directly connected to an external audio source like a CD player or an assistive listening device (ALD). By its very nature, DAI is susceptible to far less electromagnetic interference, and yields a better quality audio signal as opposed to using a T-coil with standard.

Hearing Aids Technology

Types Of hearing aids

1)Behind the ear-Behind-the-ear aids have a plastic housing for the components which rests behind the ear. A clear plastic tube funnels amplified sound into an earmold in the ear canal. Hearing aids model, though developed decades ago, can be every bit as sophisticated as smaller hearing aids. In fact, it can hold more circuitry and amplify sounds to a greater degree than in-the-ear types. BTE aids can be more durable than other types and a few are even waterproof.


2)In the ear-In-the-ear  aids house components in a custom-formed earmold that fits within the outer portion of the ear. Its size and easy-to-use controls also may be helpful for those with limited manual dexterity.




3)Disposable hearing aids-Disposable hearing aids are hearing aids that have a non-replaceable battery. These aids are designed to use power sparingly, so that the battery lasts longer than batteries used in traditional hearing aids. Disposable hearing aids are meant to remove the task of battery replacement and other maintenance chores (adjustment or cleanings). To date, two companies have brought disposable hearing aids to market: Songbird Hearing and Lyric.[citation needed] Both are digital, but are used in very different ways by the consumer. Songbird is a BTE hearing aid that is bought online and worn like any other BTE device. When it runs out, the user replaces it with a new one. Lyric is implanted deep in the ear canal by a professional. When it runs out, it must be removed and replaced with a new one by a professional.

Types Of hearing aids

Advantages Of Hearing Aids

Hearing aids come in many different types, but the most popular is style that fits behind the ear. Some designs to fit inside the ear and some even inside the inner ear canal, the majority of users prefer the behind the ear models. Using a hearing aid presents a number of advantages to a hearing-impaired person. First and foremost, you will hear a lot better. Hearing aids do not restore your hearing to normal, but they improve it significantly. It becomes easier to hear what other people say. Sounds you have not heard for a long time such as birds singing, door bells ringing, the howling of the wind and water running, may become audible to you. This type also provides the most amplification among all other models. This is because of the way sound waves are collected and passed on to the eardrum. For those people concerned about the look of hearing aids, this type can be matched to your skin color for an almost invisible fitting. The advantages of this mode are clear and obvious why it is popular.  The batteries used in behind the ear designs are larger than others. This is a advantage when changing batteries, as it's very easy to drop a small battery and lose it
The use of hearing aids will help the person to communicate with other people with ease. The individual will be able to hear an enhanced sound. This gives an added advantage to the person while being in a crowd. Comparison of the price of the various brands is important before purchasing a new hearing aid. The feature comparison and price comparison are important before the purchase of the hearing aid.

Advantages Of Hearing Aids

Disadvantages of Hearing aids

In the canal hearing aids: This is used for mild to moderately severe deafness.
Adv: It has the same advantage as of in the ear hearing aid. It is even less visible and more cosmetically pleasing.
Disadv: Even smaller than the in the ear Hearing aids requires good manual dexterity.

A hearing aid generally must be cared carefully. The user should know how to care and what to do if it fails. He should also have spare parts readily available.

Common medical problems among hearing aid users are otitis externa and pressure ulcers in the external auditory canal or meatus.

Other hearing aid problems includes
1. whistling noise,
2. loose ear mold which are improperly worn or made or worn out,
3. improper aid selection requiring too much power to seperate between microphone and reciever,
4. inadequate amplification,
5. pain from mold.

There are other Hearing aids which are implanted postauricularly under the skin into the skull and an external device is worn above the ear which transmits the sound through the skin.Eg: cochlear implants which are done for patients with little or no hearing. It has to meet all the consequence as of other surgeries including finance.

Disadvantages of Hearing aids