Heather Little, AuD, F-AAA

Open Ear Hearing Aids/Technology: Discrete & Comfortable to Wear

There are lots of advantages to this newly designed technology. It keeps the ear canal virtually unoccluded and open. The occlusion effect is a very common complaint among both new and experienced hearing aid users. It is often described as hollowness in one’s voice, a sensation of feeling plugged up, and/or sounding like the user is talking in a barrel. The occlusion effect is caused by occluding the ear canal with a hearing aid. This changes the natural resonance in the ear canal as well as the perception of a person’s voice. This phenomenon can be easily demonstrated to those without hearing aids by plugging your ears with your fingers and talking at the same time. The difference in how your voice sounds can be startling. Open ear hearing aids are available for those with mild to moderate hearing loss. If a custom molded ear piece is made, the fitting range of the device can be expanded to fit those with more severe losses. These devices allow the voice to sound more natural. It also prevents over amplification of the low frequencies, which is especially important for those with high frequency hearing loss and normal low frequency hearing.

Standard hearing aids try to reduce the occlusion through the use venting which runs the length of the hearing aid or earmold within the ear canal and allow air to flow in and out of the ear. Patients have reported a significant improvement in comfort and a more natural sound quality with the open fit hearing aids.

The technology inside open ear hearing aids is state of the art which helps prevent whistling (feedback) of the instrument while providing optimum amplification for the specified hearing loss. Many manufacturers have come out with their own versions of open ear hearing aids with various individual features. There are many models to choose from but all are excellent devices. There are links below to some of the devices available.

Several different choices of Open Ear products

Oticon Delta

www.oticon.com

Phonak MicroSavia

www.phonak.com

Resound Air

www.gnresound-group.com

Siemens Centra Life

www.siemens-hearing.com

Siemens Centra Active

www.siemens-hearing.com

Widex Élan