OTOhealth.com - Hearing Aid Styles

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Styles

Technology

Hearing Aid Styles

Open Fit

•	For mild to moderately severe losses
•	Smaller and less visible than the traditional BTE
•	Merges the cosmetic advantages of ITE's with the technological possibilities of BTE's
•	Often have greater feature options than a CIC as it can house more components (T-coil, directional microphones, etc.)
•	Less occlusion due to Open Fit
•	Some have remote controls
•	Can be affected by earwax or ear drainage

In-the-Canal (ITC)

•	For mild to moderately severe losses
•	Not as small as CIC but less visible than ITE style
•	Often have greater feature options than a CIC as it can house more components (volume control, directional microphones, etc.)
•	Some have remote controls
•	More likely to be affected by earwax or ear drainage over other models
•	Has larger control options than CIC's
•	Custom made

In-the-Ear (ITE)

•	For mild to severe loss
•	Largest of custom made hearing aids
•	Least cosmetically appealing
•	More vulnerable to wind noise
•	Easy to adjust and insert because of larger size
•	Adjustable volume control (usually)
•	Longer battery life using a larger battery
•	More likely to be affected by ear wax or ear drainage over other models
•	Normally inexpensive
•	Custom made

Behind-the-Ear(BTE)

•	Good for mild to profound hearing losses
•	Sound is conducted to a custom ear mold through a plastic tube and includes a behind-the-ear component
•	Larger controls make them easier to handle
•	Most powerful and often easiest to adjust amongst other hearing aid styles
•	Largest, most visible of all hearing aids
•	Can hold more "hardware", such as T-coils, data logging, etc.

Completely-In-The-Canal (CIC)

•	For mild to moderately severe losses
•	Smallest of today's hearing aid where the entire device fits within the ear canal
•	Typically interfaces with telephones without feedback
•	Almost invisible in the ear
•	Limited room for additional features (volume control, directional microphones, etc)
•	Limited battery life using small batteries
•	Reduced sensitivity to wind noise
•	More likely to be affected by earwax or ear drainage over other models
•	Often more expensive
•	Custom made