• Is it mandatory to do hearing assessment for scientific fitting?
• Do I need a hearing aid for both the ears?
• Which hearing aid is best for my particular type of hearing loss and lifestyle?
• Is trial mandatory? (quiet as well as noisy situation)?
• Will I get Maximum benefit with device(s) in daily life for communication?
• If I purchase hearing aids from you, will I have any additional costs?
• How often I should check or adjust my hearing aids?
• How long will these hearing aids last?
• How long I should use the aid(s)?
• What will be the maximum usage of device(s) /day?
• What type of warranty is available for these hearing devices?
• What happens if I purchase hearing aids and am not satisfied with their performance?
• Does my insurance cover the cost of these hearing aids?

By :

Miss. Chinmoyee Purusty

Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist

There are five main types of hearing aids. They are differentiated based on how much of the hearing aid is contained within the ear or ear canal and how much of it is external.Hearing aids are differentiated by where you place them, how they work, and special features. The five types of hearing devices are:

1. Behind-the-ear (BTE)
2. Receiver-in-canal (RIC)
3. In-the-canal (ITC)
4. Invisible-In-the-canal (IIC)
5. Completely-in-the-canal (RIC)

Rechargeable batteries, water resistant, dust proof, i-phone compatibility, Bluetooth and wireless technology.

1. Artificial intelligence. Algorithms allow the hearing aid to analyze a wearer's environment and the sounds coming in, identify sounds and specific people, and automatically adjust the audio based on the wearer's level of hearing loss and preselected preferences.
2. Wireless technology allows two hearing aids to operate together as one complete system, instead of acting as two independent devices.
3. Rechargeable hearing aids have built-in batteries that do not require regular removal, compared to hearing aids with traditional disposable batteries. Instead of removing the batteries themselves, you dock your hearing aids each night on a charging unit, similar to how smartphones recharge.
4. A common level of IP for hearing aids on the market today is IP67. These aids are dust tight and they are resistant in up to 1 meter of water submersion for up to 30 minutes. As you can tell, these aids are not designed for swimming, but they should be safe if they are accidentally dropped in water for a moment, such as a sink of water.

Hearing aids cannot cure hearing problem completely, but they can help you hear better again.

1. Hearing Aid are tools to help you manage the problem, and while they can contribute significantly to an improved quality of life, they are not perfect.
2. Even with successfully fitted hearing aids, you may still have difficulties hearing well in some situations.
3. Only partially deaf people could use hearing aid for better hearing. Completer deaf people could not get benifit with hearing aid.

Wearing hearing aids will ensure that your hearing nerves and your brain are getting the accurate stimulation to keep functioning. The longer you go without wearing hearing aids, the less stimulation you get and the worse your speech discrimination will become. Unfortunately, once the nerve is affected, there is no way to reverse it.

1. Signs of Hearing Loss are:
2. -Trouble understanding conversations, especially in loud or distracting environments.
3. -Certain sounds seem muffled or harder to hear.
4. -Trouble hearing people over the phone.
5. -Asking others to repeat themselves more often than usual.
6. -Have difficulty understanding at public gatherings
7. -Have trouble understanding people when you cannot see their faces
8. -Strain to hear conversations, especially when in a group setting

Your audiologist can help you make an appropriate choice based on your degree of hearing loss, the shape of your outer ear, the size and shape of the ear canal, your ability to place and adjust the device, any special features you need and any issues with excessive wax or drainage from the ears.

Some of the best hearing aid brands in India are:

1. Signia – Germany
2. Phonak – Swiss
3. Resound – Denmark
4. Starkey – USA
5. Bernafon – Swiss
6. Oticon – Denmark
7. Widex – Denmark

Hearing aids can provide relief for tinnitus by amplifying background noises and masking tinnitus sounds.

1. It makes the patient less aware of the tinnitus and it improves communication by reducing the annoying sensation that sounds and voices are masked by the tinnitus.
2. With hearing aid amplification, external sounds can provide sufficient activation of the auditory nervous system to reduce the tinnitus perception and it may elicit expression of neural plasticity that can reprogram the auditory nervous system and thereby have a long-term beneficial effect on tinnitus by restoring neural function.
3. To obtain the best results, hearing aids should be fitted to both ears, use an open ear aid with the widest amplification band, and disabled noise reducing controls.

Most modern high-quality hearing aids have a life expectancy on average between three and seven years.Just like buying a car, the actual mileage may vary. Factors impacting how long hearing aids will last

1. Frequency of cleaning: Most people would never dream of going months without washing their hair, face or body; however, they forget their hearing aids are exposed to the same environment—moisture, dust, skin oils and sweat, extreme temperatures and sunlight.To help your hearing aids life expectancy, clean them daily as directed by your hearing care practitioner and have them professionally cleaned in the hearing clinic every three to four months.
2. Materials used to make hearing aids: Hearing aids are made of plastic, metal, silicon, polymers and other materials that may be subject to some degree of structural degradation over time.
3. Where hearing aids are worn: Hearing aids that are consistently in damp or dusty environments often have more performance issues than other hearing aids.
4. How hearing aids are stored: The way hearing aids are stored when you’re not wearing them can also be a factor in hearing aid life expectancy. For hearing aids with disposable batteries, storing hearing aids with the battery door open will keep them safer. A case with a dehumidifier will keep them drier as well, which will also help them last longer.
5. A person's body physiology: Some people have very oily skin, produce a lot of earwax or sweat profusely–all of these factors can impact hearing aid life, too.
6. Frequency of maintenance: Most hearing aids have some readily-replaceable parts, such as wax guards, earmold tubing and silicone dome earpiece tips. These parts are regularly replaced during routine maintenance visits with your hearing care practitioner.
7. Technological advancements: Obsolescence can become an issue for very old hearing aids. After several years (usually between five and 10), hearing aid manufacturers may stop making replacement parts for a particular aid, which may make repairs on old hearing aids difficult or impossible. Software used to program hearing aids also changes over time and eventually becomes obsolete. This often makes it difficult to reprogram very old hearing aids. Hearing aid performance and features advance very rapidly.
8. Hearing aid style: Behind-the-ear (BTE) styles tend to have a long lifespan than in-the-ear (ITE) styles. The reason behind this wisdom is more of the electronic components sit in the damp environment of the ear canal with ITE styles.

Here’s why two hearing aids can be better than one:

Better hearing in a noisy environment

Improved ability to localize sounds

Far better sound quality with two hearing aids

Higher user satisfaction

Bilateral hearing aids fully stimulate your brain

No, Hearing Aid cannot restore the natural functioning of your ear but are designed to make things easier to hear.They are designed to maximize hearing potential, and in turn, improve quality of life.

• Hearing loss refers to the total or partial inability to hear sounds.
• It happens when there is a problem with the ear, nerves connected to the ear, or the part of the brain that controls hearing.

Hearing Loss may be partial or total, and it may occur slowly over time or suddenly.Symptoms of hearing loss include:

1. -difficulty to understand conversations with more than 2 people.
2. -ringing in your ears(Tinnitus)
3. -not hearing the doorbell/missing phone calls.
4. -difficulty hearing in crowds, noisy situations like meetings,restaurants,market etc.
5. -asking others to repeat themselves often.

The three types of hearing loss are :

1. (a)sensorineural hearing loss :- occurs when the inner ear nerves and hair cells are damaged — perhaps due to age, noise damage or something else.
2. (b)conductive hearing loss :- Occurs in the outer or middle ear — perhaps due to fluid, tumors, earwax or even ear formation.
3. (c)mixed hearing loss :- a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.

The best way to protect your ears from loud noises:

1. -Keep the volume down when listening through earbuds or headphones.
2. -Move away from loud sounds or speakers.
3. -Use hearing protection around loud sounds.
4. -Avoid loud or noisy places, when possible.
5. -Give your ears time to recover after being exposed to loud noises.
6. -Ask your doctor for a hearing checkup if you suspect you have hearing loss.

1. Impact of Hearing Loss on everyday life:
2. -Feeling left out of a conversation or a good joke.
3. -Feeling less independent, less confident and less secure.
4. -Frustrating with constant requests to repeat what was said
5. -Limiting once-fun social activities.
6. -social rejection and loneliness.

1. Tinnitus is a medical term for the sensation of hearing sound in your ears or head when no external sound is present. Tinnitus is an audiological and neurological condition that can be mild and intermittent, severe and persistent, or anywhere in between.

Some medications such as certain antibiotics, diuretics and aspirin, may cause hearing loss.

Once damaged, your auditory nerve and cilia cannot be repaired.But,sensorineural hearing loss has been successfully treated with hearing aids or cochlear implants.

While age-related hearing loss is widespread, no one should assume that they will lose their hearing as they age.However, it’s important to note that monitoring a person’s hearing is a good idea when other health conditions are identified. In fact, it is recommended that everyone has their hearing tested once a year. This gives us a great idea as to how well you are hearing. With this information, we may be able to identify issues early on and treat them before they become a severe problem.

To learn how to speak, we must be able to hear sounds accurately. For this reason, those born with a hearing loss or who develop it during the critical period for speech and language often show delayed speech and language and abnormal patterns. It used to be very easy to identify a person with a hearing loss by the tone of their speech. However, with newborn hearing screenings, we’re able to identify hearing loss at birth and begin amplification and intervention for speech and language very early. These children, when identified at birth, may develop speech and language completely. For those who lose their hearing later in life, we often see other changes in speech. Many who cannot hear clearly cannot regulate the volume of their voice and will speak much louder or softer than they used to. Depending on how soon they adopt the use of amplification, these people may start to pronounce some words differently, leaving out sounds that they are unable to hear clearly.

• Our Best Hearing Aids
• -Signia Styletto X
• -Signia AX
• -ReSound One
• -Starkey-Livio Edge AI
• -Phonak Naida Paradise
• -Phonak Audeo Pradise
• -Widex Moment

Pure Charge and Go AX is Signia latest flagship product and the first product to be launched on the company new Augmented Xperience (AX) platform.Some of the key features of the product:

1. -Smart Phone Compatibility
2. -Augmented Focus
3. -Rechargeability
4. -Own Voice Processing
5. -Acoustic Motion Sensors
6. -Signia Assistant

The Signia Silk X is the latest instant-fit completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid from Signia. Unlike other CIC hearing aids, the Silk X does not need to be custom-fitted to your ear using a traditional earmold or ear scan procedure. Instead, the hearing aid is compatible with a variety of "click sleeves" which enable a robust fit with most ear canals.Features are:

1. -Binaural OneMic Directionality 2.0 with Ultra HD e2e technology
2. -Remote control of the Silk X is possible via the miniPocket™ and Signia App.

ReSound ONE and ReSound LiNX Quattro are rechargeable solution with the longest battery time. ReSound ONE offers the best rechargeable battery life in the industry with up to 30 hours of battery life.A 3-hour charge gives patients 30 hours of battery life or 24 hours when streaming television, music or other audio for 50% of the time.

Best Hearing Aids for Severe to Profound Hearing Loss:

1. -Phonak Naída Paradise
2. -Oticon BTE Plus Power (Nera 2, and Ria 2)
3. -ReSound ENZO2
4. -Signia Motion SP
5. -Widex MENU (3,5,10)SP

1. - Phonak Hearing Aids are specifically designed built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery that provides you with 24 hours of hearing with one simple charge. Freeing you from the hassle of charging batteries.
2. - extremely easy to use
3. - a number of smart charging options available