Do you have trouble hearing your conversation partner at Fog Harbor Fish House? Does your family complain you turn up the TV too loud? Do you have trouble talking on the phone? If so, you may have hearing loss. Fortunately, you can find relief through hearing aids.
There are many different hearing aids on the market today, and the choices can feel overwhelming. The good news is an audiologist can be with you every step of the way. Below we review the steps for choosing the right hearing aid for your lifestyle.
Visit an Audiologist
The first step you must take before getting a hearing aid is to schedule a hearing test with an audiologist. Hearing tests are painless and quick, usually taking under an hour. Your audiologist will likely administer a pure-tone test, where you’ll sit in a sound booth and listen to beeps and indicate which ones you can hear, and a speech test, which is similar but you’ll be asked to repeat words back to your audiologist.
The results of your hearing test will be plotted on an audiogram, which is a visual representation of your hearing loss. Your audiologist will review these results with you.
Picking a Style
After you and your audiologist know your type and degree of hearing loss, they will recommend a style of hearing aid. Popular styles include:
- Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids
- Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids
- In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids
- In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids
- Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids
- Mini BTEs
- Receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids
- Open fit hearing aids
Some styles are better suited for some types and degrees of hearing loss than others. For example, if you have a mild hearing loss, you’ll benefit from IICs or CICs, whereas someone with more severe hearing loss may require a BTE. If you have a high-frequency hearing loss only, you can wear an open-fit hearing aid that allows lower frequencies through without amplifying them.
Choosing Your Features
Today’s hearing aids have amazing features designed to make hearing easy. Some features that are available on the market include:
- Rechargeability
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Telecoils
- Remote microphones
- Automatic programming
- Artificial intelligence
- Digital noise reduction
For more information about today’s hearing aids or to schedule a hearing test with an expert audiologist, call San Francisco Audiology today.