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Blackminster
Hearing Centre professional & expert service with amazingly low, fair prices |
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Blackminster
Hearing Centre professional & expert service with amazingly low, fair prices |
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| Impression taking | An
impression of the ear canal has to be taken of the ear canal in order
to make an in-the-ear hearing aid. This involves injecting a liquid
resin into the ear canal, waiting for it to set (harden) and then
removing the now solid resin. For shallow impressions this is usually a
simple process ... but CICs require a deep impression to be made. In my
opinion the risk of removal problems is increased when such deep
impressions are taken, so I don't feel that the (admittedly very minor)
increase in risk is worthwhile. Note: This is also the reason why I won't fit MicroPowers or other loudspeaker-in-the-ear models which require a deep impression to be taken to make a custom earmould. |
| Reliability | CIC
hearing aids are very small. This means that the microphone, loudspeaker, battery and computer chip need to be packed into a tiny space. Additionally the 'environment' deep in the ear canal can be very damp and hot. All this can lead to the hearing aid failing - perhaps as often as once per year. |
| Remakes | CIC hearing aids are very small, and so often do not fit very well physically. For example, they can "walk" out of the ear because of the movements of the ear canal wall caused by talking or eating. You can sometimes need 2 or 3 complete "remakes" before an acceptable fit is achieved. At my very low prices I simply cannot afford to remake a hearing aid two or more times in order to achieve an acceptable physical fit. |
| Ear canal compatibility | CICs are NOT guaranteed to fit: they can be physically unsuitable for people with narrow or "difficult" ear canals. |
| Single microphone | CIC
hearing aids do not usually have space for two microphones. This means
that the computer chip cannot use many of its software tricks to reduce
noise etc ... these software features expect TWO microphones, not just
one. I feel that this is a major issue. (Some people say that the deep position of CICs allows the ear's 'natural acoustics' to work better. However I believe that most CICs are probably fitted too shallowly for this effect to be totally effective.) |
| Handling | Many customers have trouble handling such tiny CIC models. Changing the battery can be especially tricky. |
| Battery life | CICs need a tiny battery. This can lead to a surprisingly short battery life. |
| Acoustics | CICs are designed to give optimal performance when they are located near the ear drum. However I suspect that maybe only 30% or so are in fact fitted deeply enough to be close to the eardrum. Too shallow fitting can reduce performance and increase the risk of 'occlusion', the 'head in a bucket' effect. |
| Visibility | Many
customers feel that CICs will be 100% invisible. Sadly this is not
always the case: CICs are indeed small, but quite often they are not
fitted deeply and so can still be visible. Additionally, some
manufacturers make CICs which are in fact quite large and thus more
visible than you might expect. There also seems to be a switch to the more
modern Open Fitting & Loudspeaker In The Ear models when low
visibility is required. Although they are Behind The Ear models, these new
designs are usually LESS visible than most In The Ear hearing aids. For more details see: Open Fittings & Loudspeaker In the Ear Fittings |
| Suitability | The CIC style is simply not suitable for every type of hearing loss. I don't want people to travel huge distances to my practice specifically for a CIC only to find that, in fact, they need a different style. |
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