Open Fit Hearing Aids: An Overview

Open fit hearing aids are extremely small and nearly invisible to an observer. Essentially, open ear hearing aids are small units that sit up on top of and behind your ear. There is no earmold to occlude the ear canal when open fit hearing aids are worn - the clear tube is extremely thin and leaves the canal open. Open fit digital hearing aids are also lightweight - many users find that after a few minutes of wearing them, they cannot feel them at all.

There are two types of open ear hearing aids, acoustic thin tube open fit and speaker-in the ear (SIE) hearing aids. The acoustic thin tube hearing aid incorporates all of the electronic components in the plastic case behind the ear. The sound then travels down the acoustic thin tube into the ear canal. The SIE hearing aid moves the speaker from the plastic case down into the sound tip of the acoustic thin tube, thus requiring less gain at the ear level to produce the same output in the canal. SIE hearing aids are appropriate for both a sloping high frequency hearing loss as well as a wide range hearing loss. Also, because the sound does not have to travel down a thin tube, the quality of the signal is improved.

Open Ear Hearing Aids: Pros and Cons

The biggest benefit to open fit digital hearing aids is that they minimize occlusion. Open ear hearing aids are ideal for those who have normal low frequency hearing but who are experiencing problems with high frequencies - which usually occurs with early hearing loss. They are also easier to fit because they are not custom made, unlike many in the ear hearing aids. Although they utilize the latest technology, open ear hearing aids should not cost much more than standard hearing aids and may even cost the same.

Because of their size, open fit hearing aids use smaller batteries and will have a shorter battery life than other devices

Learn more about the open fit hearing aids offered by America Hears.