Open Ear Hearing Aids

The most common annoyance for hearing aid users is the occlusion effect. The occlusion effect is described as the sensation of the ears being plugged. The users hear their voice sounding like they are talking in a barrel. The reason behind the occlusion effect is that the ear canals get blocked by the hearing aids. This alters the natural resonance in the ear canals and sensing of a person's voice. Another problem with the use of conventional hearing aids is their big size, which gets easily noticed, making many wearers feel embarrassed and frustrated.

Both the above problems can be solved with the use of open ear hearing aids as they minimize the occlusion effect and are too small to be observed. Therefore, open ear hearing aids provide a valuable service to wearers. Let's learn more about them.

• Open ear hearing aids are small devices that are set up either on top of or behind the ear. They do not block the ear canal as the tubes are very thin.
• They are so light that wearers don't feel any weight after a few minutes of putting them on.
• There are two models of open ear hearing aids: acoustic thin tube open fit model and speaker in the ear (SIE) model.

Acoustic Tube Open Fit Model: In this model, all the electronic components are contained in a plastic shell. This is kept behind the ear. The sound first gets processed in this plastic shell, and then moves through the acoustic thin wire to enter the ear.

Speaker in the Ear Model: The SIE model moves the speaker from the plastic shell to the tip of the acoustic thin wire. Therefore, an SIE open ear hearing aid requires less gain (in amplification) at the ear level to generate the same output in the ear canal. This enables it to be used for a broader range of hearing disabilities. The fitting range is a maximum of 60dB in low-frequency and 80dB in high-frequency. This is an advantage over the acoustic tube open fit model, which is more suitable for high-frequency hearing impairment. In the SIE model, as the sound does not have to move through a thin wire, the quality of the signal gets improved. People who suffer from severe hearing loss can benefit from an SIE hearing aid by wearing it with a dome-tip ear plug, or a custom earmold.

Advantages of Open Ear Hearing Aids

• The open fit hearing aid diminishes the occlusion effect to a great extent.
• It is extremely small, light in weight and easy to fit.
• It is ideal for normal low-frequency hearing impairment. Nowadays, open ear hearing aids, which leave the ear at least partly open, are appropriate for high-frequency hearing disability.
• They are equipped with directional microphones. This allow the wearers to point directly to the speaker and get better sound clarity, even in a noisy and crowded place.
• They are available in quite an affordable price range.

Disadvantages of Open Ear Hearing Aids

• The open ear hearing aids have small batteries with short battery lives.
• The directional microphones available with them are automatic and cannot be adjusted for volume control.
• There is a limit to the amplification of sound frequencies in open ear hearing aids.

The above information would help you to decide whether the open fit hearing aids are appropriate for you or not. If they are, please consult an audiologist to get one according to your needs.