Hearing Aids | invisible hearing aids

Because Hearclear hearing is a completely independent clinic we prescribe and service all major brands of hearing aids available in the current Australian market. They include:

Unitron
Phonak
Siemens
Resound
Bernafon
Widex
Oticon
Starkey
Sonic

If the hearing test demonstrates that you have a hearing loss, that’s when the new age advanced hearing solutions are going to benefit you. Unlike the previous generation aids, the new age devices are not big clunky whistling devices sitting behind or in your ear. New hearing aids do come in behind various styles including invisible solutions as well.

In this section we will discuss modern features that create incredible comfort, clarity and ease of use for the wearer, as well as sizes:

How do digital hearing aids work?
Feedback cancellation
Open fit acoustics
Noise reduction
Directional microphones
Bluetooth connectivity
Multiple and automatic program selection
Benefits of binaural hearing aid fittings

How do digital hearing aids work?

The most basic function of a hearing aid is to amplify sound. Digital hearing aids, which have only been around since late 1990’s, do this in a rather sophisticated way. From a technical perspective, the reason modern technology offers such a natural and rich sound, is largely due to there fact that they are much better able to match a wearer’s unique pattern of hearing loss.

Older hearing devices only amplified hearing in two channels – high-pitched sounds (treble) and low-pitched sounds (base). Modern hearing aids separate sound into numerous frequency bands and amplify each band by the amount required to restore normal hearing levels.

As sound enters the device, it is broken into multiple frequency bands. Each band is then amplified by the amount necessary to return the wearer’s hearing to normal levels at that band. With digital technology, devices can now break sound into as many as 48 different bands.

Feedback Cancellation

Historically, the whistling sound (feedback) that many hearing aid users encountered was both uncomfortable and embarrassing. This was caused when the hearing aid’s microphone picked up amplified sound. Sound travels in waves. The digital hearing aid can now detect the frequency of the wave shape that is causing the feedback and counteract it within fractions of a second. So, there will be no annoying and embarrassing whistling from your hearing aid.

Improvements in feedback management have allowed hearing aid manufacturers to develop devices that do not obstruct the natural passage of sound through the ear canal. Previously, wearers of hearing aids would complain of a “talking in a barrel” sensation, like you can experience when using your fingers to block your ears and listening to the sound of your own voice.

Open fit hearing aids have very thin tubes that enter the ear canal and smaller cases that rest behind the ear, making them barely visible.

Additionally, hearing aids that sit within the ear canal can now have greater ventilation. The end result is far more comfort and clarity for the hearing aid wearer of today.

Noise reduction

One of the problems with older hearing aids was that they amplified all sounds equally – whether the source of the sound is the person who the wearer is listening to, or background noises, such as traffic, air conditioners, or ambient noise from a crowded room. This led to discomfort and did not help the user to follow conversations in difficult environments.

Now digital hearing aids can actually tell the difference between speech and background noise and do this individually for every frequency band. The hearing aid then amplifies the speech sounds and reduces the amplification of background noise.

Now consider the size of a hearing aid and the number of computations that it must perform every few milliseconds across up to 48 frequency bands and then deliver the enhanced sound into the ear canal. The mind begins to boggle! It may be easier to simply enjoy the results of noise management – greater listening comfort and clarity.

Directional Microphones

Most people with hearing loss find that trying to follow a conversation in a noisy place can be a tremendous struggle. Logically, most conversations are with people who we are facing, while distracting background noise will come from the sides and behind us.

A modern digital hearing aid can actually pinpoint the location of sounds. It does this by using more than one microphone and gauging the difference in time that it takes sounds to reach each microphone – even though the microphones are only a few millimetres apart!

It will then provide the greatest amplification to sounds coming from in front of the wearer and less amplification to sound coming from the sides and behind. Directional microphones can be extremely beneficial in difficult situations like restaurants and are the greatest factor in improving a wearer’s ability to follow conversations in noisy places.

Multiple and automatic programming

Different listening environments often call for different settings within hearing aids in order to maximise their effectiveness. For example, when listening to music, the user would prefer to turn off features that may misinterpret elements of the music as noise. When in a quiet room, a wearer will not need the benefit directional microphones and noise reduction to the same extent they would in a crowd at the football.

Advanced hearing aids allow the user to change the settings by pressing a small button on the device. The most advanced hearing aids will even listen to the environment and change the hearing aids settings automatically, without the wearer needing to touch or think about their hearing aids.

Connectivity to mobile devices and entertainment systems

Wearers are increasingly looking for solutions to improve their ability to use their hearing aids more effectively in partnership with their mobile phones, digital radio, plasma televisions and personal stereos (e.g. Smart Phones, iPads, Tablets).

In response, manufacturers have developed streamers that connect wireless devices to the user’s hearing aid. The benefit is that this delivers improved performance in terms of speech intelligibility and sound quality as signals from the external devices are streamed directly into the hearing aid, without background noise and the need for the hearing aid to first process a sound signal.

Smart Phones now performing the task or wireless streamers

Up until 2014, someone wanting to connect their hearing aids wireless to their phone, tablet or music player would have been required to purchase an optional wireless streamer with their hearing aids. Now, since the launch of the ground-breaking ReSound LiNX, it is possible to have your smartphone (iPhone) manage these tasks. So wearers can manage streaming and functions such as volume and program settings from an easy to use App on their phone or iPad.

We were born with two ears for a reason: it helps with sound location and provides much clearer ‘stereo quality’. Advanced features such as directional microphones are far more effective when applied with two hearing aids.

For these reasons, HearClear Hearing Solutions strongly recommend that our clients are fitted with hearing aids in each ear affected by hearing loss, as this will lead to a vastly improved benefits and client satisfaction.

Thanks to the ongoing work of circuitry miniaturisation, a new class of invisible hearing aids has arrived that can be described as truly invisible. Much smaller than previous “in the ear” models of hearing aids, “invisible-in-the-canal” (IIC) hearing devices sit beyond the first bend of the ear canal, which has a number of benefits:

They work with the natural way the ear captures sound. Being closer to the eardrum reduces the “echo-like” sound quality of other in-the-ear hearing aid models. Wearers can use headphones and telephones without a problem, and don’t need to be concerned about how they wear their hair or whether they wear eyeglasses

Although there are no switches or buttons to control hearing aid settings, they adapt automatically as listening environments change. It is important to mention that these solutions are not suitable for severe hearing losses and particularly narrow ear canals.

Models

Invisible-in-the-canal

Technology Levels

Four technology (pricing levels)

Features & Benefits

SoundLens come with Starkey’s innovative features, including the industry’s most proven feedback canceller, and a noise reduction and speech preservation system that’s designed to help you hear clearly and easily, even in noisy environments like restaurants.

Voice iQ,™2 which tackles the issue of hearing speech in noise
Uses technology that replicates high-frequency speech cues into lower frequencies, where they’re easier to hear
More enhanced and natural sound quality
With T2 remote, you can adjust memory or volume using any touch-tone phone
PureWave Feedback Eliminator3 is still the industry benchmark for performance
Smartphone apps (Apple & Android*) can control the volume of the hearing aid. iSeries devices only. Android smartphones also require optional ReSound Unite- Phone Clip.
Automatic Telephone Solutions (ATS) makes having conversations on the telephone much more pleasant for those with invisible hearing aids. This technology automatically detects the user’s telephone use, and adjusts the hearing aid to the optimal settings for telephone listening.

From the experts…

While a number of manufacturers offer IIC hearing aids, Starkey ensures greater quality control by having all IIC hearing aids being made in one central location in the United States. This facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that ensures that your hearing aids are manufactured as small as possible to fit extremely close to your eardrum, increasing invisibly and also reducing any “echo” like sound.

Starkey were the first to develop an invisible-in-the-canal hearing aid, and while the other manufacturers have been playing catch-up, they company has continued to improve the SoundLens hearing device. Therefore, this remains the clear leader in this category.

Hearing aid adjustments (reprogramming)

At the time someone is first fitted with a hearing aid, it can take some time to become accustomed and comfortable with the changes in what they will be hearing. For this reason, we recommend that first-time users come back in after 6-months for a re-adjustment appointment.

Additionally, hearing aids should also be adjusted for peoples’ changes in hearing loss profile over time. Every year, our hearing changes, and everyone’s hearing will deteriorate at different rates. Subsequently, we also recommend that every client have their hearing retested every 2-years, and their hearing aids adjusted accordingly to ensure maximum benefit.

Hearing aid maintenance and service

Being without hearing aids while they are sent off to the manufacturer for major repairs can have a significant impact on the lives of people with hearing loss. To minimise the need for repairs and to preserve the life of your hearing aids, a regular and thorough maintenance program is essential.

Hearing aids are highly sophisticated devices worn in the ear canal where moisture and wax are present. The deeper your hearing aid sits in your ear canal, the more likely it is to be affected by moisture and wax.

If a hearing aid is not maintained properly, wax and moisture damage can lead to:

Gradual or sudden loss of volume
Reduction in the clarity of high frequency sounds so that they appear muffled or distorted, or your hearing aids ‘whistle’
Hearing aid tubes are blocked and cut out all together

See us every 3 months

To avoid this, please bring them in every 3 months to be cleaned at Hearclear Hearing Solutions clinic.

Our clinic have a vacuum-cleaning device, which will thoroughly clean your hearing aid. We recommend that you bring your hearing aid in every 3 months or so to be cleaned in this way.

Wax guards, filters, tubing and ear moulds for behind-the-ear hearing aids also need to be replaced regularly, and this can be checked while your hearing aids are being cleaned. There are minor charges for these parts after the warranty period has expired. We will advise you if your hearing aid needs to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair, and may be able to loan you a hearing aid to tide you over while you wait for it to be returned.

Personal maintenance program

We also recommend that clients have their own maintenance program, including:

Dry storage: Store your hearing aids, when not being worn, in your Dri-aid kit to absorb any accumulated moisture. The crystals in the metal container should be dark blue. When they appear pale/pink, place the metal container in the oven, as indicated by the instructions on the outer container.
Wipe your hearing aids with a tissue or cloth when you remove them from your ear. Examine them closely to see if you need to use your cleaning tools to remove wax or debris from the earphone (where the amplified sound leaves you hearing aid), the microphone and the air vent, if present.
Cleaning tools: Use your cleaning tools carefully – do not damage your hearing aids by cleaning too vigorously.
Do not get your hearing aids wet. They need to be removed before taking a bath, shower or a swim. They should also be removed at the hairdressers and before using hairspray.
Keep your hearing aids in a cool, dry place, away from children and dogs! Hearing aids seem to be attractive to dogs, and it is not uncommon for a hearing aid to be brought in for repair or replacement as a result of being chewed by a dog.
Take them out: Don’t wear your hearing aids if you are sleeping or if you have an ear infection.
Regular earwax checks: The regular use of hearing aids can result in a build up of wax in the ear canals. We will check for this at your regular reviews, but we recommend that you ask your doctor to check your ears between reviews to remove any wax build up present.

Batteries

You will be provided with batteries when you are fitted with your hearing aids. Stale batteries will have a reduced life and may result in poor performance from your hearing aids. We stock high quality batteries, and with our high turnover, they are always fresh.

Other useful accessories

Battery tester: Most contemporary hearing aids let you know when your battery needs to be replaced. As a back-up, we supply a battery tester when you are fitted with your hearing aids. Hold the battery in position for 15 seconds to ensure that you have a viable battery. A red light will illuminate if the battery is O.K.
Wax cleaning mechanisms: Some hearing aids are fitted with wax cleaning mechanisms. Make sure that you check these daily, as instructed at your fitting appointment. Wax hooks are available to remove wax from your earphone.
Ear mould puffer: For behind-the-ear hearing aids. We use specialised dry tubing in our ear moulds, but if you notice condensation in your tubing, a puffer can remove it, once you have separated your mould from the hearing aid.
Wax softening drops can be used if the wax in your ear canals has become hard or impacted. The wax may then become dislodged. Often, the drops simply soften the wax and it still needs to be removed by your general practitioner or Ear, Nose and Throat specialist.

Hearing Aid Troubleshooting Checklist

Your hearing aid is “dead”

Is there a battery in the hearing aid?
Is the battery fresh?
Is the battery inserted correctly?
Is there any wax blockage in the receiver tube? Is the microphone clear?

The hearing aid is working but weak:

Is there any wax blockage in the receiver tube?
Is the microphone clear?
Is there any moisture in the tubing? (for behind the ear style hearing aids)

Can hear static, but no amplification:

Possible receiver/microphone damage, needs servicing

What batteries do I need?

Hearing aid batteries are colour-coded (Blue, orange, yellow or brown)
Just let us know which colour you need

Getting feedback (whistling/screeching):

Are you inserting the aid/mould correctly?
Is there any wax blockage in the receiver tube?

Do you have a wax build-up in your ears?

Is the mould/shell old? (may need to be remade)
Is the mould/shell cracked or split?

Hearing aids are available in an extensive range of colours and sizes. This chart shows some of the more common hearing aid models available.

No two people have exactly the same experience with hearing loss. For this reason, there are many different models and styles of hearing devices to choose from. The choice of what hearing aid best suits the needs of someone with hearing loss comes down to a number of factors, including:

Extent of the hearing loss
Lifestyle considerations
User dexterity
Budget considerations
Aesthetics

Hearing aids can essentially be placed in three categories.

Invisible in the Canal (IIC)
– Custom in-the-ear models (CIC, MC, ITC, HS, ITE)
Behind-the-ear (BTE)
Receiver in the ear (RITE)

Invisible hearing aids

Invisible hearing aids are a new subset of the custom hearing aids models described below. However, thanks to the ongoing work of circuitry miniaturisation, a new class of hearing aids has arrived that can be described as truly invisible and therefore deserve their own classification.

Much smaller than previous “in the ear” models of hearing aids, Invisible-in-the-Canal hearing aids sit beyond the first bend of the ear canal, which has a number of benefits:

They work with the natural way the ear captures sound
Being closer to the eardrum reduces the “echo-like” sound quality of older in-the-ear hearing aid models
Wearers can use headphones and telephones without a problem, and don’t need to be concerned about how they wear their hair or whether they wear eyeglasses

Suitable for: mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

Custom in-the-ear models

Custom in-the-ear models are custom made to fit the contours of your ear canal. Custom, in the ear hearing aids include:

Completely in the Canal (CIC)
In the Canal (ITC)
Half Shell (HS)
In the Ear (ITE)

Depending on the specific type, it may be more or less invisible in your ear. The size and shape of your ear canal along with your specific hearing loss determine which type of custom hearing aid is right for you.

Suitable for: mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

Behind-the-Ear models (BTE)

The main section (case) of this hearing aid is hidden behind your ear and connected to a moulded receiver that fits snugly in the outer ear. Your consultant can help you determine whether you prefer a fully automatic aid that requires no manual adjustments or a hearing aid that offers full control.

These hearing aids offer a volume control and/or push button that allow selection from multiple programs for specific performance situations.

Suitable for: all types of hearing loss

Receiver-in-Canal or Receiver-in-the-Ear (RIC or RIE)

Receiver in the Canal (RIC), sometimes called Receiver in the Ear (RITE), hearing aids combine the advantages of the behind-the-ear and custom (in-the-ear) models.

The microphone has been moved to the outer ear and is connected to the main body of the hearing aid by a thin transparent tube. The result is a virtually invisible hearing instrument that offers Open-fitting comfort and maximum wind noise suppression.

Suitable for: mild to moderately severe hearing loss

Only it was as simple as just buying a pair of hearing aids and walking away, but unfortunately It’s not. First of all, what we have to understand is that how different degrees and types of hearing loss affects a person is different to one another. This is due to the fact that every single one of us unique in terms of our human physiology. Because of the same reason how each of our hearing system is going to react to a hearing aid is going to be different. This is where stories are going around about how a family member or a friend who bought a hearing aid, found it too loud and noisy and ended up in the drawer.

Adaptation is extremely important in the rehabilitation process. Of the whole process buying a hearing is only 30 percent. Next 30 percent comes in how it is appropriately fitted and fine-tuned to your hearing. Next 40 percent or the important step are the follow up appointments.

This is because of the role of memory in our hearing. Every time a sound goes into our ear it connects to the memory centre in our brain creating a template. The more the frequency of sound going in, the stronger the template gets and because we are exposed to that every day that becomes “NORMAL/COMFORTABLE” for us whether it’s actually normal or not. Now we have to remember that most permanent hearing loss types do not happen overnight but it happens over many years and our hearing system, because its exposed to the sounds (with hearing loss) over many years, It will consider the sounds perceived with hearing loss as “COMFORTABLE” or “NORMAL HEARING”.

So when we first fit the hearing aid for a patient we have to do the process just like may be learning to walk again or getting back into any activity that we used to do. On the first day of hearing aid fitting, instead of setting the hearing aids to 100%, we set it a much lower level depending on the individual. Excellent improvement will be noticed within the clinic. Along with an improvement in speech perception the individual will start to perceive other environmental sounds that he or she has not been hearing or hearing at a much lower level for a long time. This is due to the increased sensation due to immediate amplification which will subside eventually and become part of normal hearing. First stage for our brain is to hear both important (Speech) and less important sounds (environmental sounds) as our brain is not used to hearing both at normal level. But with time and gradual exposure to normal hearing level our brain will relearn how to filter the speech from the background noise without completely fading out the background noise which is actual normal hearing.

A gradual increase in use of the hearing aid should be done in first two weeks as this is the most critical stage in adaptation. Follow up will be done following the first fit on 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and every year. During each appointment the hearing aid gain will be gradually increased to reach the target (100%) to get the complete benefit according to the individuals hearing adaptation. This can roughly take between 4 to 8 months. An increase in the speech perception in background noise ability will be noticed over this period as this is a learning period for our brain.

So to conclude, hearing rehabilitation/hearing aid fitting is not just about buying a pair of hearing aids but it’s all about how it’s been professionally fitted and how it is being followed up to make sure it reaches its full potential to provide the best benefit to the patient.

Digital hearing aid (DHA) processes the sound using digital technology. Before transmitting the sound to the speaker, the hearing aid microprocessor processes the digital signal received by the microphone according to the complex mathematical algorithm. This allows amplifying the sounds of certain frequency according to the individual user settings (personal audiogram), and automatically adjusting the work of digital hearing aid to various environments (noisy streets, quiet room, concert hall, etc.).

For users with varying degrees of hearing loss it is difficult to perceive the entire frequency range of external sounds. DHA with multi-channel digital processing allows you to "compose" the output sound by fitting a whole spectrum of the input signal into it. This gives the users with limited hearing abilities the opportunity to perceive the whole range of ambient sounds, despite the personal difficulties of perception of certain frequencies. Moreover, even in this "narrow" range the DHA microprocessor is able to emphasize the desired sounds (e.g. speech), weakening the unwanted loud, high etc. sounds at the same time.

Advantages

Digital signal processing helps to reduce noise and distinguish the speech signal from the overall spectrum of sounds which facilitates speech perception.
Reducing of background noise level increases the user’s comfort (especially in noisy environments, e.g. on the street).
Setting flexibility provides selective amplification of certain frequencies (in accordance with the personal characteristics of the hearing impaired).
Effective acoustic feedback reduction.
Possibility to use directional microphones, which greatly facilitates the perception of sound in certain environments, e.g., when talking face to face, or listening to the remote lecturer.
Extended frequency range (the ability to hear a large range of sounds).
“Self-learning" adaptive adjustment which facilitates usage of the device for a number of users.
Wireless - connecting devices (phones, smartphones, etc..).
In general, the maximum purification of the sound transmitted to user.

Style of hearing aids

Behind the ear

Receiver in the canal

In the ear

In the canal

Completely in the canal

Invisible in the canal

Features of modern hearing aids

How do digital hearing aids work?

Feedback Cancellation

Open fit acoustics

Noise reduction

Directional Microphones

Multiple and automatic programming

Connectivity to mobile devices and entertainment systems

Smart Phones now performing the task or wireless streamers

Invisible hearing aids

Models

Technology Levels

Features & Benefits

From the experts…

Maintenance and service

Hearing aid adjustments (reprogramming)

Hearing aid maintenance and service

See us every 3 months

Personal maintenance program

Batteries

Other useful accessories

Hearing Aid Troubleshooting Checklist

Your hearing aid is “dead”

The hearing aid is working but weak:

Can hear static, but no amplification:

What batteries do I need?

Getting feedback (whistling/screeching):

Do you have a wax build-up in your ears?

Models and sizes

Invisible hearing aids

Custom in-the-ear models

Behind-the-Ear models (BTE)

Receiver-in-Canal or Receiver-in-the-Ear (RIC or RIE)

Hearing rehabilitation

How does a modern hearing aid work?

Advantages