Once you receive a hearing loss diagnosis, the hearing aid selection process can begin. In order to recommend the best hearing aid for you, your audiologist must take the following factors into consideration.
Your Type and Degree of Hearing loss
Hearing can be broken down into seven different degrees: normal, slight, mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe and profound. In order to determine your degree of hearing loss, your audiologist will conduct a comprehensive hearing evaluation. Following a physical examination and a review of your medical history, you will be given any or all of the following tests:
- Pure tone testing.
- Bone conduction testing.
- Speech testing.
- Tympanometry.
- Acoustic reflex testing.
- Auditory brainstem response.
- Otoacoustic emissions.
Different styles of hearing aids work better for different degrees of hearing loss. If you have trouble hearing sounds evenly across all frequencies, you can benefit from a basic-level hearing aid as opposed to someone who has issues hearing sounds that are high pitch, which requires an advanced device with multiple channels.
Your Technology Needs
Most major hearing aid manufactures produce hearing aids that contain either basic, standard or premium categories of technology. These categories do not determine the quality of the hearing aid but rather the number and type of additional features available in each model.
Your Lifestyle
When determining which hearing aid type and style is right for you, your audiologist will want to learn more about how you spend your time. If you often find yourself sitting in on meetings at work, attending events at Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture or simply spending your time carrying on conversations in areas with a lot of background noise, you will need a device that can keep up. Since premium technology is expensive, it may not be necessary for everyone, especially those who spend more time in quieter environments.
Your Listening Wishlist
Before making a recommendation based on your listening lifestyle, your audiologist will discuss what sounds you are eager to be able to hear again. Even if your lifestyle dictates a lower level of technology, if you want to be able to hear detailed musical notes, you may be interested in a more advanced hearing aid option. To learn more about which hearing aid is right for you or to schedule an appointment with a hearing aid expert, contact Columbia Hearing Centers today.