These pictures should give you an idea of what the various hearing aids look like. With today's technology, most people with a hearing difficulty can benefit from one of these devices.

Completely-in-the-Canal

Courtesy of Oticon

In-the-Canal

Courtesy of Oticon

In-the-Ear

Courtesy of Phonak	Courtesy of Oticon

Behind-the-Ear

Courtesy of Widex	Courtesy of Oticon

DIGITAL

Digital is the top of the line technology available today. As it relates to hearing aids, it is a means of manipulating incoming sound so it can be finely tuned to a patient's individual hearing loss and preferences while preserving the original sound quality. These aids will adjust to different complex listening environments and will strive to maintain the balance necessary for understanding speech in the presence of background noise. There are several types of digital hearing aids on the market.

Digital technology essentially provides the clearest signal without distortion. They work well in most low or moderate noise level environments. The more active a person's lifestyle is (e.g. business person, teacher, or active senior) the more likely they are to fully experience the benefit of digital technology.

PROGRAMMABLE (analog)

These aids will process incoming sound on a limited basis, which will make the amplification more comfortable in more situations than conventional analog hearing aids; however, this circuit performs more poorly in complex (noisy) environments than 100% digital processing circuits.

CONVENTIONAL (analog)

Generally speaking, conventional instruments are less expensive than programmable or digital circuits. Conventional circuits work well for patients with non-demanding listening needs and life styles and who need to hear in very limited sound environments.