Advances in hearing device technology are occurring rapidly, allowing people to hear and communicate better than ever before. Here are some current and future innovations that can benefit people with hearing loss.
Apps That Let You Control Your Listening Experience
Many hearing device manufacturers now offer easy-to-use smartphone apps. These apps allow you to adjust your hearing aids’ volume, switch between settings to hear in different listening environments, find lost hearing devices, use tinnitus-masking features, get support from your hearing care professional and monitor your battery life.
Artificial Intelligence to Help You Better Understand Your World
AI is helping make today’s advanced hearing devices even smarter by utilizing machine learning deep neural networks (DNNs). A DNN listens to your environment in real-time and adjusts your hearing aids automatically to improve sound quality and how well you hear speech in noise.
Glasses That Convert Talk to Text
For people with both hearing and vision loss, glasses that provide amplification, as well as subtitles, are the perfect solution. Fortunately, there are some in development. They work by pairing with a smartphone app, which listens to conversations and transcribes speech into written text, then the text is delivered to your eyeglasses, thus creating live subtitles. These could be on the market in the next two to three years.
Drug Therapy That Regrows Sensory Cells
Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss caused by damage to the tiny hair cells within the inner ears that convert sound waves into electrical impulses. Researchers have been working on drug therapies to regrow these cells but haven’t yet created a successful one. While these early attempts didn’t work, the research continues, and future generations may be able to enjoy a cure for hearing loss.
Today’s state-of-the-art technology provides optimal hearing, so if you’re struggling with hearing loss, there’s no reason to wait to treat it. And if you wear devices that are over four years old, consider upgrading—the latest models offer advanced features that could help you hear even better.
Wherever you are in your hearing journey, our expert hearing professionals are here to help strategize a treatment plan that works for you. Call (415) 362-2901.