Hearing Aid Comparison Guide
Hearing Loss And How It Affects You
Communication is a huge part of who we are. Our sense of hearing has the power to inform, entertain and connect us with our family and friends.
When our hearing begins to deteriorate, regular conversations can become tiring. Group discussions can become hard to follow which can quickly lead to frustration and isolation.
How Bad Is Your Hearing?
There are 4 levels of hearing loss; Mild, moderate, severe and profound. By assigning the hearing loss to one of these categories it can help find the correct treatment.
Mild
The person can hear without a hearing aid in most situations. Mild hearing loss may not even be noticeable, a simple hearing test can help
determine if you have mild hearing loss.
Moderate
This is the most common of the hearing groups. It can be noticed in many situations. They can still hear without a hearing aid but the
problem will be noticed on a daily basis.
Severe
Severe hearing loss will affect everyday life as it will be very noticeable. The person can only hear without a hearing aid if they concentrate and
block out surrounding noise. Often the hearing impaired person wont be able to hear everything even when the speaker is loud and clear.
Profound
With profound hearing loss the user will need to use the hearing aid constantly. Even whilst wearing the hearing aid they will still miss much
of what is going on. These hearing difficulties often require extra aid such as vibrating
.
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So What Causes Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can be caused in any of these three sections:
Outer Ear
The most common problems with the outer ear include infections of the auditory canal and ear wax.
These can be easily treated but it is important to get them seen to as it can lead to further, more serious problems.
Middle Ear
The most common problems with the middle ear include inflammation, penetrations of the ear drum, fluid behind the ear drum and
otosclerosis (stiffening of bones in the ear). These problems can still be treated by surgery or medication. Hearing loss can be compensated
with a hearing aid.
Inner Ear
The most common issues come from the inner ear. Usually inner ear issues are caused by the aging process, but other issues such as loud
noise, medication or skull fractures can have a negative influence on a person’s hearing ability. Most inner ear issues cannot be addressed
medically but can be corrected with a hearing aid.
There may be many different causes for hearing loss but a hearing aid is a simple solution for most cases.
Great Technology At A Great Price
There are so many different variations of hearing aids available it can become difficult to compare prices. Even though the price is displayed for the hearing aid it doesn’t help you understand its true value.
Just because a hearing aid is expensive it doesn’t mean it is any better that a cheaper alternative. If a hearing aid is large and bold it doesn’t mean the technology is any greater of that in a small discreet hearing aid.
So what are you paying for?
You simply pay for the technology inside the hearing aid. Just like modern televisions although the technology inside is the same the prices can be very different. We understand that manufacturers use highly technical sounding acronyms to try making their products stand out from the rest, but we like to keep things simple so you know exactly what you are going to receive.
Be sure not to use this guide to replace a fully qualified hearing audiologist, we stress that you should never buy a hearing aid without taking proper advice from a specialist.
“My first appointment at Austin Hearing Services was an excellent experience. Dr. Hutchison took the time to answer all my questions and explained thoroughly all the processes, testing, all about tinnitus and treatments. Got the opportunity to “test drive” or Tryout a number of different hearing aids in the process to getting the best fit for my hearing needs.”
Elio Giron-Sanchez