Hearing device to improve hearing

Deafness is a common and frequent occurrence in the elderly. However, fitting traditional hearing aids is not as widely accepted as optometry and glasses. So, is there really no way to improve your hearing?

Two teen girls with hearing aid have a fun with camera and mobile phone

With the advancement of science and technology, humans have invented many hearing aids. For example, the bone conduction headset used in Google Glass is one of them. This bone conduction hearing aid converts the external sound signal into a vibration signal and enters the inner ear through bone sound behind the ear. The advantage of this type of device is that it has no ear plugging effect, no whistling, and has a more hidden and beautiful appearance. Representative implanted devices include BAHA, bone bridges, and vibrating acoustic bridges. If the patient is extremely severely deaf on both sides, the above-mentioned device cannot achieve effective hearing assistance, and a cochlear implant can be used.
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These devices have so many advantages, why aren’t many people using them?

First of all, because these hearing aids were invented much later than traditional hearing aids, and some even entered the domestic market for less than five years, the common people didn’t know much.

Secondly, these require surgical implantation compared to traditional hearing aids.

Furthermore, these devices are relatively expensive.

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What should elderly patients with a strong desire to improve their hearing do?

First, go to the hospital for a specialized ear examination and confirm that there is no external or middle ear disease, then perform an audiology test.

Second, according to the audiometry results, determine the types of hearing aids that patients can choose. For example, both traditional hearing aids and implantable hearing aids can be considered. Patients still give priority to the fitting of traditional hearing aids and feel the appearance of wearing, hearing aid effect, comfort and so on.

Third, if you are not satisfied, you can consider an implanted hearing aid. If the patient is in a good general condition, can tolerate surgery, and the family’s economic situation allows, further examinations such as ear CT can be performed. After the surgical contraindication is ruled out, the hearing aid device can be implanted.

With the advancement of technology, perhaps in the future, senile deafness will no longer be a problem that plagues human beings.