Hearing aid have been around for a long time and things have changed over the years. Over the last several years advances in digital technology have been integrated into the hearing aids. This has allowed for smaller and more effective hearing aids. There are still size and performance limitations, but the improvements of the last few years have been dramatic.
Below is a list of the improvements digital processing brings to the hearing aid world. Not all digital hearing aids offer all of these enhancements.
Programmability
Historically in audiology, the prescription (or matrix) of the hearing aid was ordered and built at a lab in another state. Once it was built it could be fine tuned in the office, but not substantially altered. Digital technology makes the hearing aid very flexible. It allows us to reprogram the hearing aid if there is a change in your hearing. It also allows us to set the hearing aid for your hearing loss in our office, while you are wearing it. This improved precision means better hearing for you.
Feedback cancellation
Under certain conditions, all hearing aids will make a whistle or feedback. In the old days this was controlled by reducing the volume. The squeal would stop, but now the wearer wasn’t hearing as well. Today many digital hearing aids now use a feedback cancellation system that virtually eliminates feedback. This allows for more consistently high performance and less annoyance.
Call Glacier Ear, Nose and Throat at (406) 752-8330 or Glacier Hearing Services (406) 752-1014 for more information or to schedule an appointment