If you're like millions of other people you really did not
fully understand what you bought when you purchased your
new digital hearing aids. The hearing professional told
you what you needed and you trusted them. I get asked all
the time to explain what makes a digital hearing aid
different.
Digital hearing aids use computer technology. The sound
and comfort level can be tailored to your specific hearing
loss. This is accomplished by connecting the digital
hearing aids to a computer and programming them to your
loss. But, there are non-digital / analog hearing aids
that can be programmed this way too. So, what are the
differences between digital hearing aids and analog?
Hearing aids receive sound through the microphone.
Distortion and noise are added to the sound from the
microphone. This is because microphones make noise. Analog
hearing aids pass the sound on to you with the noise and
distortion. Digital hearing aids take sound as it comes
into the hearing aids and clean it so that there is less
distortion and noise. The sound is then sent to the
amplifier, where your digital hearing aids measure the
sound and decide how much power to add in order for you to
hear.
After being amplified the sound is sent to the receiver (
the speaker ) and is then cleaned up again before being
sent to your ear. This is also where digital hearing aids
look for feedback ( whistling ) and work to cancel it
before the feedback happens. Digital hearing aids actually
perform millions of complex calculations in less than the
blink of an eye, so fast you cannot even tell it has
happened. The whole process is incredibly complicated.
Digital hearing aids are able to be set more precisely to
your hearing loss. Digital hearing aids also have a wide
array of circuitry inside them that control the comfort of
the sound and make speech easier to hear in noise.
Why Do Some People Have Difficulty Changing from Analog to
Digital Hearing Aids?
Many people that have worn hearing aids for some time have
been unsuccessful when they tried digital hearing aids. If
digital is so much better, why do these people not like
them? We are conditioned over time to like or dislike
things. Many people did not like some kind of food when
they were young, but later they learn to like it. We call
this developing a taste for it. The same is true with
switching from analog to digital hearing aids, especially
if you were happy with your analog hearing aids.
Your brain becomes accustomed to hearing sounds a certain
way, particularly if you felt positive about the way it
sounded with your analog hearing aid. When you first put
on your digital hearing aids the sound is much brighter.
This can be overpowering to some and the immediate reaction
is to not like it. That's when many people make one of two
mistakes. They try to tough it out and get used to their
digital hearing aids, or they just give up. The problem
with toughing it out is that it can actually become painful
to hear all that sound when your not used to it. Then your
new digital hearing aids becomes your enemy! Giving up
doesn't help anything either.
When this is the case, the best way for you to adapt to
your digital hearing aids is gradually. Your professional
can tone them down so that the sound is comfortable, and
then gradually introduce more sound over time as you
adjust. It may take several visits to the office for
adjustments until you get the maximum benefit from your
digital hearing aids. But if you persevere, your digital
hearing aids will reward you with much better hearing.
----------------------------------------------------
Kelly C. Calkins is a doctor of audiology and has practiced
for over 20 years. For more information about hearing aids
or to find the nearest hearing professional to you, call us
today at 877-777-1710 or visit our website at
http://www.aidright.com
No comments:
Post a Comment