What is the best invisible hearing aid?
Updated: 5 days ago
It is simple: invisible hearing aids are the smallest hearing aids. They are comfortable, sound good, low maintenance, and invisible. Read more to learn about them.
This week I had the pleasure of attending a patient choosing between the Oticon Own invisible IIC and another well-established and popular invisible hearing aid (see our Oticon price list here). The patient is a long-term user of invisible hearing aids. He is a young professional and unlike many who take advantage of Bluetooth connectivity and rechargeable features of RIC hearing aids he wanted to stay on the course with invisible hearing aids but upgrade his old ones with a newer/better version. Working with him to help him choose the best smallest hearing aid that works for him inspired me to write this article. I hope you find the tips and hints in this article to help you choose the best invisible hearing aid that sounds great for you.
We will be discussing the following questions about invisible hearing aids in this article:
Why do people like invisible hearing aids?
Does an invisible hearing aid best fit everyone?
What is the difference between IIC, CIC, ITC and ITE hearing aids?
What are the Pros and Cons of invisible hearing aids?
What to consider when shopping for invisible hearing aids?
Do invisible hearing aids sound better than receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids?
Can invisible hearing aids be programmed remotely through telecare?
What are the best invisible hearing aids on the market?
Can I buy invisible hearing aids without taking ear impressions?
Where can I buy invisible hearing aids online?
Can I return the invisible hearing aids for a refund if they don't sound good?
What warranty and aftercare I should expect for a pair of invisible hearing aids?
How long do invisible hearing aids last?
What's the most common problem with invisible hearing aids?
Do invisible hearing aids are less failure-prone compared to other styles of hearing aids?
Do invisible hearing aids connect to my smartphone?
How can I adjust the volume of my invisible hearing aids?
What is the price range of invisible hearing aids?
What are the best invisible hearing aids in the UK?
Why do people like invisible hearing aids?
In my professional experience, I would say the main reason that people love invisible hearing aids is their vanity. The fact that they are the smallest hearing aids (hence so hidden) is a great advantage to many. The belief that wearing hearing aids is a sign of getting old or a handicap is wearing off in many societies, but still, there is a fair bit of stigma against using hearing aids. A pair of invisible hearing aids removes that concern altogether. Another reason that patients love invisible hearing aids is that, unlike RIC and BTE which sit right behind your ears, the invisible hearing aids do not interfere with glasses and masks. Invisible hearing aids are the best option for people who need to wear masks all the time, such as medical teams, doctors, and nurses.
Does an invisible hearing aid best fit everyone?
The answer is no. The acoustics of invisible hearing aids work best only for a certain level and type of hearing loss. Also, the ear canal of the patient needs to be medium to large to accommodate invisible hearing aids. People with narrow ear canals may not be able to use invisible hearing aids, but likely could still use CIC or ITC hearing aids that may not be as invisible as they wish them to be. My best advice is to consult with your audiologist. Please contact us or book a free consultation for invisible hearing aids in London.
What is the difference between IIC, CIC, ITC and ITE hearing aids?
All of them are custom-made hearing aids and fit in the ear, as opposed to behind the ear. In particular. Please see the below image for a visual illustration of these 4 types of custom-made hearing aids.
IIC (invisible in the canal) - IIC is the smallest hearing aid you can find in the market. Your ear canals need to be medium to large to accommodate invisible IIC hearing aids. IICs are not rechargeable and are not Bluetooth-enabled.
CIC (completely in the canal) - CIC hearing aids can be visible when one looks at your ears from the side (depending on the size of your ear canal). They are not Bluetooth enabled nor are rechargeable. They are the next best option in terms of vanity if you have a narrow or medium-sized ear canal.
ITC (in the canal) - In the canal hearing aids are more recommended when a patient has severe or severe to profound hearing loss. They come in battery-powered and rechargeable. Also, they are Bluetooth enabled so you can stream audio played on your smartphone. Their sound quality and their ability to assist speech intelligibility in a noisy environment might be slightly better than IIC and CIC because they can hold more electronics in them, and they are equipped with more than one microphone.
ITE (in the ear ) - In-the-ear hearing aids are recommended for patients with narrow ear canals or when the patient has severe to profound hearing loss. The bigger size of this custom-made hearing aid makes them the best choice when there is a retention problem with hearing aids (not staying fit in the ear canal). They come in battery-powered and rechargeable models and they are Bluetooth enabled.