How to choose the right one?

Many types of hearing aids exist. So which is best for you? Find out what to consider when choosing a hearing aid.
Perhaps you’ve thought about getting a hearing aid, but you’re worried about how it will look and wonder whether it will really help. Knowing more about the hearing aid options available to you, what to look for when buying one and how to break it in may help alleviate some of your concerns.

The basics: What all hearing aids have in common

Hearing aid parts
Hearing aid styles
There are many different hearing aids available. However, all hearing aids need certain parts to carry sound from the environment into your ear, including:

A microphone. The microphone picks up the sound.
An amplifier. The amplifier increases the volume of the sound.
A speaker. The speaker sends the sound into your ear so that you can hear it.
A battery. The battery provides power to the electronic parts.
All hearing aids work by collecting sounds from the environment through a microphone, amplifying the sound and then directing this amplified signal into your ear by way of a loudspeaker. The amplified signal stimulates your inner ear, which activates nerve fibers that carry the sound impulses to your brain.

Hearing aid styles
Hearing aids come in various styles, which differ in size and the way they’re placed in your ear. Some are small enough to fit inside your ear canal, making them almost invisible. Others fit partially in your ear canal. Generally, the smaller a hearing aid is, the less powerful it is, the shorter its battery life and the more it will cost.

With so many styles to choose from, keep in mind that your choice shouldn’t be based on looks alone. The style that’s right for you should be based on what helps you hear the best.

Common hearing aid styles include:

Completely in the canal. The aids are molded to fit inside your ear canal and can improve mild to moderate hearing loss in adults. Though these hearing aids are the smallest and least visible of the available styles, the small style can be a disadvantage. Completely-in-the-canal aids have little space for add-ons, such as volume controls and directional microphones. They’re generally more expensive than other styles. And the batteries are smaller, so battery life may be shorter. One advantage to the small size: The ear helps protect the instrument from wind noise, although it doesn’t eliminate this problem. Make sure your audiologist (hearing specialist) knows about your lifestyle and where you want to hear better so that he or she can advise you accordingly.
In the canal. An in-the-canal hearing aid fits partly in the ear canal, but not as deeply as the completely-in-the-canal aid. In-the-canal aids can accommodate mild to moderately severe hearing loss in adults. This style may contain features that won’t fit on completely-in-the-canal aids, but the small size can make the features difficult to adjust. Some in-the-canal aids have a remote control available. If you have trouble with small controls, ask about this option.
In the ear. An in-the-ear style of hearing aid fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear. This style is helpful for people with mild to severe hearing loss. In-the-ear aids are more visible to others and may be more vulnerable to picking up wind noise. But sometimes the larger size makes in-the-ear aids easier to adjust and insert. The bigger batteries in these hearing aids are likely to last longer than those in the smallest aids.
Behind the ear. Behind-the-ear hearing aids include a component that rests behind your ear. This component conducts sound to an ear mold that fits inside your ear canal. This type of aid is appropriate for almost all types of hearing loss and for people of all ages. Behind-the-ear aids are the largest, most visible type of hearing aid, though some new versions are smaller, streamlined and barely visible. Behind-the-ear hearing aids can be the most powerful and often are the easiest type to adjust.
Open fit. These are very small behind-the-ear-style devices. Sound travels from the instrument through a small tube or wire to a tiny dome or speaker in the ear canal. These aids leave the ear open, so they are best for mild to moderate high-frequency losses where low-frequency hearing is still normal. They appeal to people who want an instrument that is less visible but doesn’t plug up the ear like the small in-canal models do.