Hearing Devices and Other Aids

Last Update 12/16/03

Some thoughts on hearing by Norman in Oregon aka one-eye.

To begin with, understand that this is just my own humble opinion. I am an Audiologist, which means that I work with people who are hard of hearing, including testing for hearing loss and fitting hearing aids.

If you do not have a hearing loss then I can recommend a listening device such as the "Walker Game Ear" or some of the others on the market like the E.A.R. Magnum. These are usually decent-quality products, but be aware that they are generally off-the-shelf products that are mass-produced, and generally speaking do not always have the best sound quality. But, if you truly want directionality then you will need to shell out for two of them. The reason we can tell which direction sounds come from is because we have two ears, and our brain interprets the slight time differences between ears to tell us where the sound is. If you only use a device on one ear (assuming both ears hear the same), then your brain will interpret sounds as always coming from the one side.

If you do have a hearing loss then by all means check into hearing aids. The future is now in regards to hearing aids, meaning that you don't need to wait ten years for a significant breakthrough. There are hearing aids available that are digitized that can do wonderful things. As far as that goes, too, most custom hearing aids should be adjusted frequency by frequency to match your particular hearing loss. If it doesn't then you wasted your money. The sound quality difference between a properly fit hearing aid and a device like the "Game Ear" can be significant, especially if you have a hearing loss.

Chances are, if your hearing loss is pretty significant, then a behind the ear critter will give you better sound quality, more volume, and less feedback (aka squealing). While the tiny completely-in-the-canal type are more appealing cosmetically, they are limited in the amount of power they can produce and may be prone to feedback. But, there are several other factors to consider, too, including the degree of hearing loss, frequencies lost, and size of the ear canal (where you aren't suppose to put the car keys, not the part that Aunt Melba likes to box). If you want more info do a search under digital hearing aids, or e-mail me and I'll give you specific web sites to visit. Also, ask about directional microphones- they are great for listening in noise.

If everything sounds "tinny" that usually that means that the frequencies aren't set right, and they probably don't match his hearing loss like they should. It is kind of like running your stereo at full treble but little or no bass. And yes, hearing aids do make things sound different- it is, after all, a miniature amplifier, and you are also hearing sounds you aren't used to hearing. Fortunately, the newest digital hearing aids cancel out the mic noise which can eliminate the "amplifier noise" to some degree.

If you are deaf in one ear then ask an Audiologist about a Bi-CROS hearing aid- it puts a microphone on the dead ear and a hearing aid on the hearing ear and will still give you directionality. It is an amazing design. A Bi-CROS hearing aid is a specific configuration of a regular hearing aid, and your best bet would be to look in the yellow pages under "Audiologist" and then make a call to ask them about it. Personally, I recommend a hardwired configuration rather than a wireless one due to the difference in sound quality. As for the VA, my understanding (at least with the Portland VA, which is nearest to us) is that they will provide computer programmable hearing aids, which in many cases do have the better sound quality even though they may not be fully digitized. They can also be programmed to precisely match the individual hearing loss.

No offense to any doctors, because I have the most respect for them, but if your doctor says you don't need hearing aids yet but you are struggling to hear or understand conversations then perhaps you really do need a hearing aid. There is more to needing a hearing aid than just having a hearing loss- it depends, too, on your communication demands. Unfortunately, most doctors (there are exceptions of course) don't know a whole lot about hearing loss, especially about the social impact of having a hearing loss. And, in my experience I have found that most doctors don't know much, if anything, about hearing aids in general.

I could go on and on, but I've probably bored you by now anyway. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any specific questions.

Norman in Oregon aka one-eye - e-mail nnsoren@terragon.com

Magnum E.A.R.

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