At Hear Med, we work with you to find the hearing solution that suits you and your lifestyle best. There are several different styles of hearing instruments, and each hearing aid is designed and fitted to each person’s hearing needs. Hearing aids are worn either in or behind the ear.
In-the-Ear (ITE) Hearing Aid:
Custom (ITE) hearing instruments are used for mild to profound hearing loss. Custom instruments sit entirely within the ear and are fitted individually made from an impression of the wearer’s ear.
Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid:
BTE instruments are used for all types of hearing loss, from mild to profound. They come in a variety of styles from Miniature-BTEs to SuperPower instruments. Most offer advanced directional microphones for improved understanding of speech in noisy situations. Behind the ear systems can be connected to custom fitted earmolds with varying degrees of closure and occlusion of the ear canal and outer ear, or they may be coupled with thin tubes and soft tips for a more open fitting. Open fittings are only appropriate for mild to moderate hearing losses, but can provide additional comfort and ventilation to the ear.
Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aid:
RIC open fittings look quite similar to the open fittings. But contrary to most conventional behind-the-ear instruments, the receiver is placed within the canal. Since the receiver is no longer within the behind-the-ear (BTE) unit, but inside the canal – and connected to the BTE component via thin tubing – the BTE unit is particularly small, light, and inconspicuous.
