Advancements in this realm are often prompted by the dedication of scientists who know someone close to them with some degree of hearing loss. As a result, hearing aids have come incredibly far in regards to technological advancement in the past 200 odd years. Alexander Graham Bell’s own wife was deaf, while his mother suffered from a hearing impairment. Here are some more cool findings.
1. Heavy and cumbersome, the earliest hearing aids were extremely large and posed challenge for the users. These devices did not even increase the sound all that well. Fast forward to today’s tiny versions of today which are so lightweight users hardly know they’re wearing them.
2. Were you aware that know water resistant and waterproof hearing aids allow you to spend time in humid environments or even go swimming? Water resistant devices will resist very high humidity levels, such as in tropical locations or within a steam room, while waterproof models won’t get wet when you go swimming or take a shower.
3. Digital hearing aids help with feedback reduction, which eliminates echoes and background noises, prevalent in the last 20 years. Digital hearing aids can take away outside distractions that older versions simply couldn’t achieve.
4. with the amplification of sound, hearing aids can now address the ear ringing that is prevalent in people who have tinnitus, providing a special kind of tinnitus therapy.
5. The trend today is to be proud of the device and wear hearing aids in bright colors and patterns. Younger people in particular take this approach. Boring beige used to be the sole color in which hearing aids were available. That’s no longer the case, even though the neutral colored ones provide discretion and blend in better with the ear.
6. Featuring rechargeable batteries, today’s models help you save money and hassle. Why? You don’t have to keep buying and installing new batteries each time they wear out.
7. While sound amplification is a big component of any hearing aid worth its sale, the clarity of sound and filtering of background noises can be even more crucial. Thanks to modern hearing devices, the listening experience is much better for each individual.
8. Induction loops work alongside hearing aids to keep crowd noise to a minimum so the user can clearly hear announcements or someone at a meeting. You’ll often find this in conference rooms at businesses. These loops also eliminate background noise and frequency distortion that are notorious at airports, concert halls and stadiums.
9. Technology has brought us state of the hearing aids and wireless devices that can be used in tandem with Bluetooth for a seamless connection. This gives users the ability to integrate their hearing aids with a smart phone, TV or MP3 player.
10. For optimal operation, hearing aids should be programmed before use by a professional. This makes the hearing aid unique to the individual, by saving comfort settings and reacting to stimuli in the environment.
Have you learned a bit about hearing aids? They’ve come so far thanks to revolutionary visions.