Hearing Aid Technology

ANALOG technology is the technology that has been around for many decades. Analog technology is basic technology and offers limited adjustment capability. It is the LEAST expensive.
DIGITALLY PROGRAMMABLE technology is the "middle grade" technology. Digitally programmable units are analog units digitally controlled by the computer in the office to adjust the sounds of the hearing aid.
DIGITAL technology is the most sophisticated hearing aid technology. Digital technology gives the audiologist maximum control over sound quality and sound processing characteristics. There are qualitative indications that digital instruments do outperform digitally programmable and analog hearing aids. Digitals are not perfect, but they are very good. Digital hearing aids have been widely available since 1996.

Hearing Aid Styles

There are many styles of hearing aids. The degree of the hearing loss, power and options requirements, manual dexterity abilities, cost factors, and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the style the patient will use. The most common styles are listed below:




ITE: In-The-Ear units are probably the most comfortable, the least expensive and the easiest to operate. They are also the largest of the custom made styles.







ITC: In-The-Canal units are a little more expensive than ITEs. They require good dexterity to control the volume wheels and other controls on the faceplate, and they are smaller than ITEs.




MC: Mini-Canals are the size between ITC and CIC. A mini canal is a good choice when you desire the smallest possible hearing aid while still having manual control over the volume wheel and possibly other controls.




CIC: Completely-In-the-Canal units are the tiniest hearing aids made. They usually require a "removal string" due to their small size and the fact that they fit so deeply into the canal. CICs can be difficult to remove without the pull string. CICs do not usually have manual controls attached to them because they are too small.




BTE: Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are the largest hearing aids and they are very reliable. BTEs have the most circuit options and they can typically have much more power than any of the custom made in the ear units. BTEs are the units that "sit" on the back of your ear. They are connected to the ear canal via custom-made plastic tubing. The tubing is part of the earmold. The earmold is custom made from an ear impression to perfectly replicate the size and shape of your ear.




Hearing aid batteries

One question often asked is "How long does the battery last?" Typically they last 7-14 days based on a 16 hour per day use cycle. Batteries are very inexpensive, costing less than a dollar each. Generally, the smaller the battery size, the shorter the battery life. The sizes of hearing aid batteries are listed below along with their standard number and color codes.
Size 5 RED
Size 10 (or 230) YELLOW
Size 13 ORANGE
Size 312 BROWN
Size 675 BLUE

Today's hearing aid batteries are "zinc-air." Because the batteries are air-activated, a factory-sealed sticker keeps them "inactive" until you remove the sticker. Once the sticker is removed from the back of the battery, oxygen in the air contacts the zinc within the battery, and the battery is "turned-on". Placing the sticker back on the battery will not prolong its life. Since many of today's automatic hearing aids do no have "off" switches, removing the battery at night assures that the device is turned off. Zinc-air batteries have a "shelf life" of up to three years when stored in a cool, dry environment. Storing zinc-air hearing aids in the refrigerator has no beneficial effect on their shelf life, in fact, quite the opposite may happen. The cold air may actually form little water particles under the sticker. Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen. If the water vapor creeps under the sticker, the oxygen may contact the zinc, and the battery could be totally discharged by the time you peel off the sticker! Therefore, the best place to store batteries is in a cool dry place, like the back of your sock drawer, not the fridge!