The modern market of medical equipment is so wide and available that many hard of hearing people and their relatives refuse the services of a specialist in choosing a hearing aid. After all, you can buy any model today online, without leaving home. However, this is the difficulty. First, it is very difficult to make the right choice from hundreds of manufacturers. Secondly, an auditory denture purchased in this way may not be suitable for either size or other technical characteristics.
What kind of hearing aid is best to choose - types and their difference
In fact, when you ask yourself how to choose the right hearing aid, you find out that there are only two of them according to the principle of processing the incoming audio signal:
- digital;
- analogue.
Analog devices are not capable of converting sounds to optimal frequencies. They only increase the sounds and equalize them to the average. Hence, only those people who have hearing loss in all frequencies equally can approach.
The first, of course, a more modern design, which allows you to get sounds of perfect purity without interference. For this purpose, a special electronic device with a digital converter has been introduced into the device. But even making a choice in favor of a digital hearing aid, one must take into account that the models differ not only in their external design, but also:
- by power;
- by the number of high-frequency channels.
In addition, any type of hearing aid can look like:
- BTE device;
- the intra-articular;
- intracanal;
- pocket.
The penultimate version is completely invisible to the outside eye, as it is inside the ear canal. Breech apparatus, although repeating outwardly the shape of the ear, may sometimes not fit the size of the earmould. This will contribute not only to the permanent loss of the liner, but also to the creation of extraneous noise, whistling.
What to choose - a sound amplifier or a hearing aid?
In fact, analog models are just a sound amplifier. Large manufacturers are gradually abandoning the manufacture of analog devices, but they are still in demand. This is due primarily to the ease of use, and therefore, their cheapness. They do not require complicated (sometimes computer) settings.
Especially in the senile age, when there is no need to wear a hearing aid permanently, the host is more comfortable with the analogue, which sometimes happens to be a pocket variant. You can take it in your hand, adjust the volume. A digital hearing aid can be worn continuously without experiencing any discomfort, because multichannel allows the device to be automatically tuned to the desired frequency.
Should I choose a hearing aid myself?
Before buying it is important to check with the manufacturer for the availability of all certificates of conformity. And yet, even with a reliable manufacturer, having studied all the subtleties of the presented devices, it is better to purchase by consulting a specialist. Since choosing a hearing aid yourself without a doctor is not so difficult as it is unreasonable. After all, if you make the wrong choice, an exorbitant load hits the hearing impaired. This is the case when more powerful - does not mean better.
An adaptive correction is necessary, which is better to be monitored. In addition, there are a number of contraindications, according to which wearing a hearing aid can be completely prohibited:
- epilepsy ;
- Other diseases accompanied by convulsive conditions;
- inflammatory process inside the ear.
With tremors, too, you should carefully select an in-the-ear device.