A Guide to ITE Hearing Aids

If you have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, your thoughts will immediately turn to selecting your hearing aids. Wanting the best hearing aid for your hearing loss is natural, but there are many things to consider when making this decision.

Unfortunately, there is no singular best hearing aid that is the perfect fit for everyone. Everyone will have different preferences and priorities for what they expect from their hearing aids, so instead, it is always best to focus on working with your audiologist to find the best device for your personal circumstances and requirements. In doing so, there are two particular areas you will want to focus on, as we have discussed in more depth below. 

Hearing aid styles 

There are three main styles of hearing aids, all of which offer their own specific benefits. The options are: 

Behind the ear (BTE) 

• The receiver sits at the back of the ear, with a plastic tube connecting to the amplifier at the front of the ear. 
• Suitable for mild-to-severe hearing loss. 
• Offers the longest battery life. 

In the ear (ITE) 

• The receiver and amplifier are placed in the same casing and sit in the ear. 
• Available in full shell and half shell styles, with full shell covering more of the outer ear bowl and half shell covering less.
• Suitable for mild-to-severe hearing loss. 

In the canal (ITC)

• A unit containing both the receiver and amplifier sits in the ear canal.
• Considered to be the most inconspicuous style of hearing aid.
• Suitable for those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. 

Hearing aid features

Hearing aid features can help to enhance your experience of using your hearing aids, with a wide variety of options now available. Here’s an overview of the most common choices along with the benefits they can provide: 

Directional microphones 

• Sound from in front of the wearer is prioritized over sounds from behind
• Help to make it easier to focus on conversations with another person and reduces distracting background noise 

Tinnitus masking 

• Beneficial for those who have been diagnosed with tinnitus; a condition that causes people to hear sounds that are not actually there, and which is highly associated with hearing loss
• A consistent sound is played to mask tinnitus sounds and distract the brain from noticing them directly

Noise reduction 

• The hearing aid analyzes the sound signal 
• Sounds that are judged to be unwanted – such as background or environmental noise – are subsequently reduced 

Telecoils 

• Allow users to connect to a sound signal directly in order to improve sound quality
• The sound signal can be from a personal telephone, or from a public system that offers the technology – such as a concert venue or guided tour

Everyone who has ever used hearing aids will have different ideas about which type of device and features should be considered the best. It is important to focus on finding the best device that suits your needs.