Hearing aids pick up the sound that is entering
the ear, process it to match the hearing loss, then release the
signal back into the ear - all instantaneously.
Hearing Aids are available with two types of technology:
analogu and digital.
Analogue hearing aids, which are not often used
now, will pick up the sound, translate it into an electrical
signal, amplify it, and then feed it into the ear.
Some analogue hearing aids can detect whether sounds are loud or
quiet and therefore whether they need to be amplifyed or not. This
means that they will recognise that loud sounds, such as traffic,
do not need further amplification. This feature is known as
"automatic gain control".
A digital hearing aid, on the other hand, is
much more advanced than an analogue aid. It contains a silicon chip
comprising millions of electrical components that continuously
process incoming sound, convert it into clearer and more audible
sounds and then release these at the appropriate sound level into
the ear. Its sophistication allows it to distinguish between sounds
that need to be amplified and unwanted noise that needs to be
reduced. This differentiation allows wearers to distinguish similar
sounding speech sounds much more clearly.
Because they are much more advanced, digital hearing aids can be
adapted to work with an individual's personal degree of hearing
loss and lifestyle needs. They have a number of pre-set programs
which can be used in different situations, such as quiet
conversations, concerts, or at parties where there is a great deal
of background noise.
The more sophisticated digital aids enable the user to watch the
TV while taking part in conversations, locate where sounds are
coming from, eliminate whistling and feedback while on the phone or
hugging someone, and can link up via wireless technology to the TV,
mobile phone, computer or stereo system.
The parts of a hearing aid
There are different types of hearing aid, but they
all have the same five key components:
Also see: Digital
hearing aids
