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Many hospitals, doctors and individuals are purchasing their medical equipment from online medical supply stores. In this article, we will discuss some of the most popular hearing aid devices available in those online stores.

CIC (completely in the canal): These hearing devices are molded in a way so that they fit the area inside the ear perfectly. If you are an adult and experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss, a CIC hearing aid is an excellent choice. CIC is often referred to as mini CIC due to its extremely petite form; it is the least visible and smallest type of hearing aid. To use these tiny devices, you will need to have extremely small batteries, which might be quite difficult to handle. If arthritis or handling of small items is difficult for you, these next options might be a better choice.

ITC or in the canal: These devices are custom-molded and fit in the ear canal partially. This style is also meant for helping individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss. An ITC hearing aid might not be as small as the CIC devices, but it’s definitely much less visible that the bigger styles. In addition, it comes equipped with features that you will not get in the CIC units. One problem with these units is that their speakers are highly susceptible to clogging by earwax. A good hearing aid cleaner will be necessary with this device.

ITE or in the ear: The ITE units can be custom made in two different styles, full shell and half shell. The full shell hearing aids fill almost the entire bowl-shaped part of our outer ear. The half shells, on the other hand, fill just the lower part of the outer ear. If you have mild to severe hearing problems, you can use any of these two ITE devices. Elderly people prefer this hearing aid type as it is much easier to handle than the two types discussed above. Due to its bigger size, it comes with some features that you will not find in the small hearing aids, for instance, ITE units boast volume control. In addition, you will be able to use bigger batteries in these devices, which means you will be enjoying much longer battery life, and not struggling to place the battery in the chamber.

BTE or behind the ear: These pieces hook over the top of the user’s ear and rest behind it. They come equipped with a slender tube that connects them to custom earpieces known as ear-molds. These ear-molds are basically the structures meant to fit in the user’s ear canal. BTE units are traditionally large in size, but the past few years have seen some modern manufacturers making a few miniature models of BTE hearing aids for a more discreet style.

Source by Surendra Mishra