Open-ear hearing aids

December 26, 2006 by David.

While I’m on the subject of hearing loss, let me throw a little out about hearing aid styles.  About five years ago I got my first set of hearing aids, one that are completely in the ear canal (CIC).  These are the smallest and least noticeable and being a somewhat fashion conscious person, I was willing to give up some performance for style.  However, I hardly ever wore them.  They were quite uncomfortable, didn’t help in noisy situations that much, and things like hearing yourself chew was bothersome.

About two years ago I decided to try again.  A different manufacturer I thought might get a better fit and maybe electronics had improved enough to make it worth it.  While there was marginal improvement in comfort and the intelligence in sound amplification, there wasn’t enough benefit to make it worth wearing them regularly.

Well, I’m hear to tell you that the latest in hearing aid technology is the answer – the open ear design.  What this means is that the ear canal isn’t completely sealed off.  You have a behind the ear module with a tube that goes into the ear and a little soft plastic surround to help hold it in place.  The surround piece is mostly cut away with the result that the hearing aid supplements sounds the ear hears naturally.  This eliminates the chewing sound in your head and makes all sounds more natural.

I picked up the Delta by Oticon.  It is much small and sleek with leading-edge electronics.  It looks more like a blue tooth hearing piece than a hearing aid.  I can’t believe the difference in how well I can hear.  Granted, nothing will take you  back to “normal” hearing, but this is a significant improvement and the comfort level won’t be a factor to keep you from wearing them.  From the first day I received them, I have worn them all day every day.  When I take them out, it is like someone turned down the treble.  With the old CIC style, when I took them out, it was like someone turned down the volume.  The difference is these do a much better job amplifying just the sounds I need amplified.If you live in the mid-south, I highly recommend Dr. Michael Cox!  He understands hearing loss very well, is gracious, and has lower than average pricing.  His contact info is:

Memphis Hearing Aid Center
7675 Wolf River Cir
Germantown, TN 38138
901-682-1529

Posted in Life, All | Print | Comments Off