The two main decisions that you will need to make in regards to your hearing aid(s) are style (size) and level of technology :

STYLE
The style of hearing aid refers to how it appears in your ear. There are several different styles of hearing aids:

Behind-The-Ear hearing aids (BTE) have two parts: The hearing aid fits over your ear, and is attached to a custom-made ear-mold, which directs the sound to your ear.


Behind-
The-Ear

Open Fit BTE aids or Receiver In the Canal (RIC) aids: This small BTE style directs sound into the ear canal through a thin plastic tube and a tiny, plastic dome, ear piece. In the RIC versions, the receiver of the aid sits directly in plastic dome and the microphone remains in the small BTE housing over your ear.


Open Fit BTE
Hearing Aid

Custom hearing aids refer to hearing aids that have only one part that fits in your ear. There are several different sizes of custom hearing aids:

In-The-Ear (full-shell ITE) hearing aids fill up the entire 'bowl' of your ear.


In-The-Ear

Half-Shell (HS) hearing aids fill up approximately half of the 'bowl' of your ear.
In-The-Canal (ITC) hearing aids fill up the canal of your ear.


In-The-Canal

Completely-In-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids fit very deeply into your ear canal, and are the least visible of the hearing aids. A pull-string is added to the hearing aid to allow you to pull it out more easily.


Completely-
In-The-Canal

TECHNOLOGY
All hearing aids of today are digital. They contain a computer chip in them, and like a computer, converts sound into a special code before amplifying it. We like to classify them into three levels of technology:
Basic Digital
Mid-range Digital
Advanced Digital

Basic Digital
Have limited parameters that can be adjusted to suit your hearing needs. Best for quieter environments. Limited benefit in very noisy places such as busy restaurants, noisy traffic, riding in a car.

Mid-Range Digital
More flexible and are equipped with more features to maintain comfort and clarity in noisier environments. Suitable for quiet listening environments, meetings and busier environments.

Advanced Digital
Provides optimal hearing in noisier environments. Those with very active lifestyles and who are frequently in different environments, (i.e. multiple speakers or a lot of background noise) should seriously consider the more advanced digital hearing aids.

Most hearing aids, regardless of technology, perform well in quiet situations. The main advantage of mid-range and advanced hearing aid technology is better hearing in noisy situations.

The best hearing aids for you depend largely on

Your expectations Do you want hearing aids to reduce background noise?
Your lifestyle Are you active? Do you attend meetings, work, lectures or have frequent social gatherings?
Your experience Do you currently have hearing aids, and if so, are you happy with them?
Your hearing loss Do you have an unusual hearing loss configuration and/or are you very sensitive to loud sounds?
Your budget Can you afford advanced hearing aids if you needed them?

Please also see our FAQ section for more information.
In addition, the following brochures will provide useful information:

• Helpful Information For Buying Hearing Aids
• General Information
• Telephones and Hearing Loss