When you hear the words "hearing aid," you probably think of a type of hearing aid that hooks into your ear. This type of hearing aid is called an in-the-ear hearing aid and is the orthodox type of hearing aid. Because of their large size, these types of hearing aids can incorporate a variety of functions, so you can be sure to choose an ear-mounted model if you are having trouble.
Let's take a closer look at the features of this type of hearing aid.
Characteristics of ear-mounted hearing aids
An in-the-ear hearing aid has a tube that extends from the body of the hearing aid, which has a microphone attached, and an earpiece-like part called an earmold is placed in the ear at the end of the tube to listen to sound coming from the earmold. Earmolds are usually made by taking an ear mold and shaping it to fit you. This makes it harder for it to fall out or for sound to leak out because it fits your ear perfectly. The hearing aid is hooked over the ear by a tube.
Types of ear-mounted hearing aids
Hearing aids can be further subdivided into the following types
- Conventional
- RIC
What are the differences?
Traditional in-the-ear hearing aids
As the name implies, this type of hearing aid has been around for a long time. The microphone emits the sound picked up by the microphone through the speaker, and the sound is delivered to the ear through a tube. This conventional type of hearing aid is called a RITA (Receiver In The Aid).
RIC type hearing aid
The RIC is a more recent type of hearing aid than the conventional type. RIC stands for Receiver In the Canal, and the speaker is attached to the earmold rather than the main body. The main body and speaker are connected by a thin cord, not a tube. Compared to the conventional type, the cord is thinner and the speaker is closer to the ear, which has the disadvantage of being easily damaged by moisture. However, the advantage of the conventional type is that the sound from the speaker is delivered to the ear through a thin tube, whereas the RIC has the speaker inside the ear, so the sound attenuation is smaller. Which one you choose is a matter of preference, not that one is better than the other, so please try them out and use whichever you prefer. By the way, there is little difference in appearance between conventional and RIC.
Advantages of choosing an in-the-ear hearing aid
So what are the advantages of an in-the-ear hearing aid?
- The large size allows for a wide range of functions.
- A wide price range
- Less feedback
Let's take a closer look.
Large size allows for a variety of functions
Instead of being placed directly in the ear like a hole-in-the-ear hearing aid, an in-the-ear hearing aid has a tube that extends from the body of the hearing aid and is hooked to the ear. Therefore, there is no need to reduce the size of the main body itself to a size that would allow it to fit in the ear. For this reason, ear canal hearing aids often have minimal functionality, while ear-molded hearing aids can incorporate a variety of functions.
For example, they can be connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth to listen to music, or they can be directional to make it easier to hear sounds coming from the front.
Wide price range
The orthodox ear-mounted hearing aids are available in a wide range of price points.
Of course, there are differences in the level of functionality depending on the price.
And because they don't need to be smaller, they are often cheaper than in-the-ear hearing aids for the same features.
Less feedback
One of the reasons people dislike hearing aids is feedback.
Howling occurs when the microphone in the hearing aid picks up the sound coming from the hearing aid and repeats the process of sound collection => amplification => sound collection => amplification => ….
Similarly, howling in elementary schools when listening to the principal in the gymnasium or at karaoke is caused by the microphone picking up the sound coming from the speakers. The earpiece type is prone to howling because the body itself is small and the distance between the microphone and the sound emitting point is close. In the earpiece type, the sound emitting part is inside the ear and the microphone is attached to the body outside the ear.
Therefore, ear-mounted hearing aids are less prone to feedback than in-ear hearing aids. If you are concerned that howling may prevent you from using a hearing aid, you may want to consider an in-ear hearing aid.
Disadvantages of choosing an in-the-ear hearing aid
There are advantages, but there are also disadvantages.
What are the disadvantages of an in-the-ear hearing aid?
- They are conspicuous.
- Interferes with masks or glasses
There are some minor disadvantages to ear-mounted hearing aids, such as
The large size makes wearing a hearing aid conspicuous
Unlike an in-the-ear hearing aid, an in-the-ear hearing aid does not hide the fact that you are wearing a hearing aid because it is hooked into your ear. For this reason, they are not suitable for people who do not want people to know they are using a hearing aid or are embarrassed by the fact that they are using a hearing aid. Personally, I find the conspicuousness of the hearing aid rather an advantage. Hearing loss is a completely invisible disability. Because it is not visually apparent, people often do not notice when someone speaks to them, for example.
Then that person ignores you! He/she doesn't seem nice! This is a negative impression. On the other hand, if the hearing aid is conspicuous, it is easier to notice that the person is hard of hearing. This makes it easier for people to pay attention to them, so I personally don't see it as a disadvantage. Also, recently, some hearing aids have been decorated and have become a part of fashion. However, there are many people who do not want their hearing aids to stand out, so I would like to list this as a disadvantage for now.
Masks and glasses can interfere with hearing aids
Since an in-the-ear hearing aid is a type of hearing aid that hangs over the ear, it may not be compatible with other items that also hang over the ear. For example, masks and eyeglasses are not a problem when they are worn normally. The problem occurs when removing them.
For example, when removing a mask, the strings may get caught and the hearing aid may fall out with it. If that happens, you could lose your hearing aid. It would be a terrible thing to lose a hearing aid that costs tens of thousands of yen just to take off a mask. And the mask stays with you. There are items that can be worn around the neck with a string instead of the ears, so this problem can be solved by using such a mask.
Who should use an in-the-ear hearing aid?
Who is suited for an in-the-ear hearing aid?
- People with moderate to severe hearing loss
- People who want a hearing aid with a variety of functions
- People who do not need extra features but want a simple and inexpensive hearing aid
If you are one of these types of people, you should definitely consider an in-ear hearing aid.
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