Bobs Musings

Technology has finally allowed the hearing loss industry to provide cost effective devices that expand their functionality for end users. Touch screen technologies are now being implemented in order to give users the ability to have greater accessibility and gain more from the average hearing aid.

Fiddling around with your conventional hearing aid is tedious when trying to modify volume levels. With mechanical controls it is easy to over compensate. Digital touch screen controls are easier to control, as they instead change volume based on the swiping motion of the finger. Internal controls and sensitivity can also be modified by yourself or a professional to fine tune everything.

Being accessible is the key ingredient for success in any hearing aid. It’s hard to fumble around with a hearing aid when driving a vehicle, for instance. Instead of messing around with knobs and buttons, a quick swipe across the ear is all that is necessary to amplify the earpiece. This is perfect for when you absolutely need to hear something, but can’t be distracted by a trying to fine-tune your volume settings on the hearing aid.

The benefit of not having exterior controls is that the device overall will benefit from being more closed to the outside environment. Thus, there will be a greater tolerance to things such as humidity. Previously it was a problem to take hearing aids into humid environments that could cause faults in the electronics. Digital hearing aids are more hardy in this respect, making them last longer on average.

Dirt and grime have also been known to cause defects in hearing aids. The lack of exterior parts in touch screen designs has lessened the impact that the elements in general have on a hearing aid. As a result, the general life expectancy of a hearing aid has increased dramatically. Even paying a higher price for touch screen designs pays for itself when you consider that the hearing aid will last much longer if properly taken care of.

Newer hearing aids that are easier to manufacture and cheaper to replace cost less than previous designs. It’s the best of both worlds- you get the better technology, yet either pay less or around the same price for the technology included. From here it will be exciting to see what new technologies from other industries can be incorporated into hearing aid design. Doctors will be able to help you find a model of touch screen hearing aids that fits you best.

Final Thoughts

Digital hearing aids are the new standard for hearing aids. It’s hard to go back to a mechanical-based design after having experienced the glories of a hearing aid with little maintenance. Talk to your doctor to see if you can obtain a touch-enabled hearing aid for your own solution to hearing loss woes.

Learn more about hearing aids and digital hearing aid.