Once you have worked with your Houston, Texas audiologist to
determine the cause and extent of your hearing loss, the next step is to decide
on the course of treatment that is right for you. To make your decision you should take hearing
aid style, the level of technology you need and the final cost of the device into
consideration.
Hearing Aid Style
Completely-in-the-canal
(CIC)
·
Smallest, least visible style
·
Fits inside the ear canal
·
Smallest battery, shortest battery life
·
No extra features due to size
·
Works for mild and moderate hearing loss
In-the-canal (ITC)
·
Fits half inside the ear canal and half outside
·
Slightly larger battery, slightly longer battery
life
·
Contains a few features
·
Works for mild and moderate hearing loss
In-the-ear (ITE)
·
Fits in the outer portion of the ear with two
styles, full shell (most of the outer ear) and half shell (only the lower part
of the ear)
·
Larger battery, longer battery life
·
Contains more features
·
Works for mild to severe hearing loss
Behind-the-ear (BTE)
·
Contains two parts, one that fits behind the ear
and one that fits inside the ear canal, connected with a tube
·
Largest model
·
Largest battery, longest battery life
·
Contains the most features
·
Works for mild to severe hearing loss
Receiver-in-canal
(RIC) and Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE)
·
Contains two parts, one that fits behind the ear
and one that fits inside the ear canal, connected with a thin wire
·
Less visible than the BTE model
·
Large battery, long battery life
·
Contains the most features
·
Works for mild to severe hearing loss
Technology
Telecoil (T-coil) Enabled
Devices
·
T-coil works as a miniature wireless receiver
·
Picks up electromagnetic signals and turns those
signals into sound inside hearing aids
·
Allows the user to directly connect with a
hearing loop, FM and infrared system
Bluetooth Enabled
·
Bluetooth works as a wireless receiver
·
Allows user to directly connect with any Bluetooth
enabled devices – cell phone, MP3 player, TV
Cost
Hearing aids differ in cost between offices, even within
Houston. Generally, the more features and the more advanced the hearing aid,
the higher the cost. So you can get an idea:
Behind-the-ear style range from $1,850 to $2,700
Receiver-in-the-ear range from $1,200 to $2,700
Completely-in-the-canal range from $1365 to $2,860
In-the-canal range from $1,300 to $2,750
In-the-ear range from $1,200 to $2,700
Once you and your Houston audiologist have weighted your
options and decided on which make and model is right for you, the next phase of
the process is to be fitted for your hearing aid. This process will be explained
in next week’s blog post!
