| Category | Types of Hearing Aids |
Types of Hearing Aids
1. Behind The Ear (BTE):- A behind the ear (BTE) aid has two parts: the main part goes behind your ear. This is connected by a thin, clear tube to an ear fitting that sits inside your ear canal. Some ear fittings are made individually from ear impressions but many people now use small ear tips not made individually but which fit very comfortably.
2. RIC and RITE:- A receiver in the canal (RIC) aid is like a BTE aid but smaller. An almost invisible wire connects the hearing aid to a receiver (tiny loudspeaker) fitted within the ear fitting sitting in your ear canal.
3. CIC and ITC:- These hearing aids are contained in tiny cases that fit partly or completely into the ear canal. They are the smallest hearing aids available and offer cosmetic and some listening advantages. However, their small size may make them difficult to handle and adjust for some people.
4. ITE:- All parts of the hearing aid are contained in a shell that fills in the outer part of the ear. The ITE aids are larger than the in-the-canal and completely-in-the-canal aids, and for some people may be easier to handle than smaller aids.
5. Cros and Bicros:- With a CROS system, you wear hearing aids on both ears, even though you can’t hear in one of them. The sound detected by the aid on the "bad ear" is transmitted directly to the aid on the "good ear" side. This gets rid of the “head shadow” effect.
BiCROS are very similar to CROS hearing aids, except they're designed for people who have hearing loss in their "good" ear, too. With a BiCROS system, the aid in your better ear will also be programmed for any amplification you may need. The “Bi” stands for Bilateral.
