Open-Fit Hearing Aids has a few primary benefits:
Because the ear canal is left open, low-frequency sounds come
through with much greater clarity.
Hearing aids that block the ear canal can cause the user to feel
their own voice is somewhat distorted or muffled due to the
blockage. Open-fit hearing aids do not have this drawback.
Given their small size, they tend to be less susceptible to
blockages due to earwax.
There is little to no telephone feedback when using an open-fit
hearing aid.
They can potentially be a good fit for individuals who are somewhat
sensitive about their hearing impairment, as they are less
immediately noticeable.
How Do Open Fit Hearing Aids Work?
An open-fit hearing aid functions in essentially the same way as
any other assisted hearing device. The hearing aid picks up sounds
through a receiver, located either on the main body of the hearing
aid or within the ear. This sound is then fed through an amplifier,
and then finally sent through a speaker.
Coupled with recent advancements in digital feedback suppression,
this allows open-fit hearing aids to function with a remarkable
level of clarity.
How can hearing aids help?
Hearing aids are primarily useful in improving the hearing and
speech comprehension of people who have hearing loss that results
from damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear, called
hair cells. This type of hearing loss is called sensorineural
hearing loss. The damage can occur as a result of disease, aging,
or injury from noise or certain medicines.
A hearing aid magnifies sound vibrations entering the ear.
Surviving hair cells detect the larger vibrations and convert them
into neural signals that are passed along to the brain. The greater
the damage to a person’s hair cells, the more severe the hearing
loss, and the greater the hearing aid amplification needed to make
up the difference. However, there are practical limits to the
amount of amplification a hearing aid can provide. In addition, if
the inner ear is too damaged, even large vibrations will not be
converted into neural signals. In this situation, a hearing aid
would be ineffective.
