The first hearing aid was created in the 17th century, a lot has changed since then.
Hearing aids can either be worn behind the ear or inside the ear, and they are usually made up of five parts.
Firstly there is a small microphone to pick up the sound, a microchip that will cater the received sound for the best experience to the specific user, an amplifier to increase the source sound, a loudspeaker to output the sound for the user, and finally, a battery to power the whole process.
Today’s hearing aids are fully digital enabling them to provide crisp clear sound quality and incorporate some of the latest surround sound technology.
Digital hearing aids provide the ability to be more finely tuned to the needs of the specific user. Factors such as the direction sounds are coming from, the elimination of excess noise, and device connectivity options are all feasible with a digital hearing aid.
The functionality of a hearing aid is a step-by-step process.
Initially, the microphone will pick up the sound as your ear normally would, the chip analyses the sounds, processes them and sends them to the amplifier. The actual sounds are then transmitted via the loudspeaker into the appropriate destination within the ear.
In the inner ear, these sounds are modified into electrical impulses where the brain then processes them. It is actually the brain, and not the ear, that processes the sounds we hear—the ear is simply the funnel
The job of hearing aids is to improve the effectiveness of a damaged ear at getting those sounds to the brain where they can then be understood by an individual.
If you think you or a loved one may have a hearing loss our advice would be to get a free hearing checked.
