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mardi 13 septembre 2016

Types And Models Of Hearing Aids

By Brenda Murphy


Another name for a hearing aid is a deaf aid. This is a gadget designed for use by deaf people to improve the ability to hear. In most countries, these devices are categorized as mechanical devices subject to regulation. A lot of evolution has occurred in hearing aids from being simple sound amplification devices that directed external sounds to ear canals to being computerized electroacoustic systems.

Sound is made more comfortable and intelligible by modern gadgets since they are computerized electroacoustic systems. The sound processing ability in them enable them to cancel wind and noise, highlight voice and partial region, and to shift frequencies. For the device to match the lifestyle, physical feature, and the degree of hearing loss in a person, it must be configured.

The term fitting is used to refer to the process by which an aid is configured so that it can match various aspects. The fitting is done by a specialist called an audiologist. The level of usefulness of a device is often dependent on the quality of fitting the audiologist does on it. It worth knowing that, deafness is not truly corrected by a deaf aid. All the device does is to increases the accessibility of sound.

The efficiency of the devices is minimized by two major factors. The first factor is the loss in brain cells responsible for processing sound. This loss occurs when the primary auditory cortex is not stimulated regularly due to lack of sound waves transmitted to it. This problem worsens as the extent of deafness increases. The second factor is the damage of hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in sensorineural hearing loss. This makes it hard to discriminate sounds.

Several methods exist for evaluating how effective these devices compensate for loss in the ability to hear. One of the methods is called audiometry. Audiometry is done under laboratory conditions to gauge hearing levels of a subject. Audiometric tests are made to resemble real-world environments to the highest level. Even with this, patients may have different everyday experiences. Another approach is called self-report evaluation, which involves the patient reporting personal experiences from using the device.

Three main dimensions are available for representing the outcome of the device. These dimensions are hearing aid usage, satisfaction, and aided speech recognition. The correctness of the adjustments done to the device can be measured through a method called real ear measurement, which is also called probe microphone measurements. This method uses a silicone probe tube microphone to assess the characteristics of amplification by the device near the eardrum.

Different types of these instruments have been invented. The devices vary in their size, circuitry, and power among other factors. Major modern types today include body worn aid, receiver in the canal aid, BTE cross system, behind the ear aid, and on-the-ear aid. Other types are BTE Bi cross system, extended wear deaf aid, earmolds, open-fit gadgets, disosable deaf aid, invisible in canal deaf aid, stethoscope deaf aids, and bone anchored devices.

In most cases, modern gadgets run on button cell zinc-air batteries. These batteries come in five key standards. Mercury batteries used to be common in older models. There are also manufacturers who make modern devices that run on rechargeable of long-life disposable batteries.




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