There are many people who think that a hearing aid is a device that they can buy at a store, plug in their ear and have better hearing. While this may have been true with the older models, there are now better options available. You have the chance to have a hearing aid specifically programmed for you by an audiologist. These digital hearing devices do necessitate more from the patient in terms of time and tests, but the abilities that they have to improve your overall hearing are incredible. We can see the benefits of a programmed hearing aid by examining the hearing aid programming process.
What Factors Can Be Adjusted?
There are many different factors that can be changed to make your hearing aid to be the best fit for you. Not only do you have the ability to have the audiologist adjust simple things such as volume, frequency, max power output, and the parameters of the microphone input and output, but you can also change the amount of environmental noises allowed to be picked up by the device. Combined, you will have a device that is able to give you the ability to hear better than ever.
Processing Time
There was never the opportunity to have a custom hearing aid twenty-five years ago. This has led many users of hearing aids in the present day being unaware of the incredible range of benefits that are aware to them through customization of hearing aids. In order to get the best results, then you need to see a hearing specialist so that they can take a series of measurements in your ear and with your hearing. The results of these tests are then programmed into your hearing aid so that your needs are taken into account for the hearing aids. While this is mostly successful for people, others have to come back so that their aids can be reconfigured to account for the adjustments that their brains make. The best audiologists can bring you in to tweak the devices so that all of your needs are being continually met and updated.
Programming Hearing Aids
Hearing loss has become common problem worldwide. Today, technology through environmental simulations, visual mappings and real ear measurements has allowed customization of hearing aids by their individual users. Real-ear probe microphones are used in detection of how much sound reaches the eardrum. This makes doctors to be very accurate in the programming. They learn how speech sounds hit the eardrum through visible speech mapping. This allows today’s hearing aids to help in feedback reduction algorithms and noise reduction. During programming, audiologists use surround sound systems that simulate real noise so as to make adjustments. Surround sound systems are able to simulate crowd noises. This feature is very helpful since many people using hearing aids complain that their devices work well in quiet places but when in crowds, they find it difficult to compete with the background noises. Programming of hearing aids is a process that requires the right hardware, software and connecting cables. Many people who have been affected by hearing loss learn how to do their own programming, but the equipment is quite expensive and the device will be less accurate. For ultimate hearing health, you should have a well-qualified audiologist to perform this task.
