Hearing aid

small sound amplifiers worn in the ear (ITE) to compensate for hearing loss

A hearing aid is a small electrical machine which fits in or behind a person's ear. The purpose of a hearing aid is to make sounds louder so the deaf person can hear spoken words and other sounds.

A pair of Oticon Spirit Zest digital BTE (Behind the Ear) hearing aids.
In-the-ear aid
A modern behind the ear hearing aid, the audio tube to the speaker is barely visible.
A modern behind the ear hearing aid with a minicell battery.

The two most common types of modern hearing aids are behind the ear aids and in the ear aids.

Before hearing aids were invented, people used "ear trumpets" also called ear horns.[1][2]

Types of hearing aids

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There are many different types of hearing aids. They are good for different users depending on lifestyle and how much help they need to hear. An audiologist can help make hearing aids work even better for a user by customising them.

  • In-The-Canal (ITC) - the smallest type of hearing aid, these are made to fit inside the ear canal and can be used by people with mild to moderate hearing loss
  • In-The-Ear (ITE) - these are slightly larger than the ITC aids and fit inside the outer ear instead of the canal. These can be used by people with mild to severe hearing loss
  • Behind-The-Ear (BTE) - sit behind the ear and connect to a mould placed in your ear through a tube. This type of aid is usually the largest but can be used by almost anyone with hearing loss and has many different functions
 
Different hearing aids.

References

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  1. Comparison of Hearing Aids Over the 20th Century. Ear & Hearing. 21(6):625-639, December 2000. Bentler, Ruth A.; Duve, and Monica R.
  2. http://www.hearingcenter.com/Questions/Q_ear-horn.html Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine Ear Horn Q&A. Accessed 6 Dec 2007.

Other websites

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