By Alexandra Carmichael, Au.D.
Picking the right hearing aid to meet your needs is an important part of the Hearing Aid Evaluation process. Hearing aids come in a variety of styles that all serve a different purpose. There are some similarities between styles, but every style offers different pros and cons depending on the user. All styles can come with a rechargeable battery or replaceable batteries. Working with your audiologist, they will help to guide you to the hearing aid that best fits your hearing loss and hearing needs.
Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE) or Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) Style
A RITE/RIC hearing aid is a very common style match for many hearing losses and lifestyles. There is a small behind the ear portion that houses all the hearing aid electronics and then a thin wire that comes down with a speaker that sits directly in the ear. This style is commonly fit with a silicone dome or a hard acrylic custom earmold piece.
Behind-The-Ear (BTE)
BTE hearing aids are very similar to a RITE/RIC device, they both house most of their electronics behind the ear, however, BTE devices do not have a wire, instead they have a variety of hollow tubes that come over the ear into the ear canal. BTE devices also come in a wide range of sizes to match different severities of hearing loss. They vary from about the size of a RITE/RIC all the way to an Ultra Power device for individuals with severe to profound hearing loss. The earpiece also varies greatly depending on the severity of the loss ranging from a small dome with a thin tube to a custom earpiece that fully plugs the ear with a thicker tube.
Custom Hearing Aids
Custom hearing aids are made by taking an impression of the wearer’s ear and sending it to the hearing aid manufacturer to produce a unique device only for the individual intended to wear them. The style name of the hearing aid will often help describe the overall size of the hearing aid. Custom hearing aids vary greatly in size depending on the user’s ear shape and the severity of the hearing loss. Choosing the right size is a conversation between you and your audiologist if they determine a custom hearing aid is a good option for you.
Pictured from left to right (less visible to most visible): Invisible-In-Canal (IIC), Completely-In-Canal (CIC), In-The-Canal (ITC), and In-The-Ear (ITE) made in Half Shell (HS) or Full Shell (FS) styles
Now is a great time to have your hearing checked! Audiology Consultants’ offices are located at 2215 East 52nd St., #2, Davenport, IA: 563-355-7712; 600 Valley View Dr., Moline, IL: 309-517-3889; Unity Point Clinic, 3426 North Port Dr., #500, Muscatine, IL: 563-264-9406; or Hammond Henry Hospital, 600 College Ave., Geneseo, IL: 309-944-9181.