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The Types of Hearing Aids for Adults

For many people, hearing loss is an inevitable part of growing older. Fortunately, hearing aids have become a very reliable way to minimize the practical problems that hearing loss can cause in a person's daily life. People who decide they need some help with their hearing have several choices when it comes to the different types of hearing aids available. Before making a choice, it is a good idea to become aware of what your choices are.

  1. Completely-in-the-Canal

    • Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids are for mild hearing loss in adults. They are custom-molded into the shape of the user's ear canal, so that they are barely even visible. CIC hearing aids are unlikely to pick up wind noise because of the earlobe's protection and are easy to use with a telephone. However, they also use small batteries that don't last that long, and don't have any volume control.

    In-the-Canal

    • In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids fit only partially into the user's ear canal. They are larger than CICs, and are also more powerful. They can be used for a wider variety of hearing loss than other types of aids. They are also nearly invisible, though not to the extent of CICs. ITCs are good for adults with moderate to severe hearing loss. They also often come with remote controls for easy adjustment.

    In-the-Ear

    • In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, also called full shell hearing aids, fill up most of the concave-shaped area of the outer ear. While their size makes them more visible, it also makes them easier to adjust than CICs or ITCs. These are useful for people with mild to severe hearing loss.

    Behind-the-Ear

    • Behind the ear (BTE) hearing aids rest behind the user's ear and hook over into the ear canal. They are housed inside a plastic casing, with a tube running up to a custom-made ear fitting. These hearing aids can provide a high level of amplification due to their larger battery. They can also be manufactured to fit a wide variety of hair colors and skin tones. Some newer models of BTEs are small and unobtrusive, but many are large and highly visible as well.

    Half-Shell

    • Half-shell hearing aids are similar to ITEs except they only fill up half of the concave area of the outer ear. These hearing aids are easier to handle than the smaller types, have some extra features, such as volume control, and can help with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

    Open Fit

    • Open fit, or open canal, hearing aids are very small BTE hearing aids. Like BTEs, the sound runs through a small cable, but these devices just have a small dome at the end as opposed to a custom-made plug. Therefore, the ear is not completely plugged up as with full BTEs. These are good for hearing loss focused only on high-frequency hearing.

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