Hearing Aids

Your Washington DC Area Hearing Aid Experts

Hearing Aids

Individuals with hearing loss will benefit from the use of a hearing aid. At Chevy Chase ENT, we realize that selecting the appropriate hearing aid is an important decision, and one that may seem overwhelming considering the many brands, features, options, styles and price points from which to choose. Our audiologists are here to help you choose the hearing aids that best meet your needs, so you get the most from your investment.

Todaya’s digital hearing aids contain sophisticated noise management systems and directional microphones. These sophisticated devices can readily respond to changes in the sound environment while maintaining settings optimized for speech understanding. The result is improved performance and comfort in more challenging listening environments.

Digital hearing aids contain chips that are programmed with a computer. If your hearing loss changes or progresses, the overall amplification of the hearing aid can be manipulated to meet those changes. A given hearing aid will typically last 3-5 years or longer. Technological advances in hearing amplification are occurring continuously to better meet the needs of those with hearing loss.

One hearing aid or two?

People who have hearing loss in both ears are best served by having hearing aids in both ears. We call this binaural hearing. (As opposed to monaural hearing) In a similar fashion, those with visual impairment in both eyes will benefit from eyeglasses in both eyes to maximize visual improvement. In the old days, we used to use a monocle, a single lens in one eye. We now know that if the vision in both eyes can be improved upon, we perform better with eyeglasses in both eyes. The same is true for hearing. If we can improve hearing in both ears, our overall auditory functioning is better than if we only improve hearing in one ear.

The following are some of the advantages of listening binaurally:

  • Improved Speech Understanding
  • Localization of sound (being able to localize who is speaking in a group, or where a sound is coming from)
  • Reduced physical strain when listening, or restful Listening
  • Preserving Auditory Potential or maintaining auditory stimulation
  • Binaural Input

In this Section:

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    Styles & Brands

    Overview on how to select the style that matches your unique needs.

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    Communication Tips

    Helpful tips for yourself and others to increase communication, even with a hearing aid

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    Hearing As an Investment

    Important factors to consider when purchasing a hearing aid for yourself or a loved one.

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    Maintenance & Troubleshooting

    Maintenance tips to extend hearing aid life and increase performance

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    Accessories & ALDS

    Available accessories and technology expanding the use of your hearing aid

Digital technology
Digital devices have essentially replaced their analog predecessor, which essentially amplify all sound, similar to the concept of a megaphone. Digital devices have microphones that transmit sound to a computer chip, which moderates the volume and amplifies the frequencies needed to help improve hearing. In general, one is able to get better hearing with digital technology compared to analog technology.
Personalization
The computer chip in digital hearing aids is programmed to optimize the settings for each wearer according to his or her personal listening preferences.  People have different responses to what sounds good, just as we have different responses to what tastes good!
Clear sound
Today’s hearing aids incorporate noise management systems that distinguish speech sounds from background clutter and filter out the extraneous noise, delivering a cleaner sound than analog aids. Digital aids incorporate directional systems, in which two or more microphones placed strategically within each hearing aid to help the user distinguish speech in noisy surroundings. In addition, digital hearing aids can minimize or eliminate feedback, which generates an unpleasant whistling sound.
Adjustments over time
If your hearing changes or progresses over time, we can re-program your digital hearing aids to adjust the amplification accordingly.
Telecoil and Bluetooth
Today’s digital hearing aids have the capacity to incorporate extra features, such as Bluetooth wireless and telecoil or t-coil technology. This technology helps the hearing aids communicate with other devices.
Life expectancy
Today’s hearing aids should last from 3 to 5 years or longer; ongoing advances in hearing aid technology promise the frequent introduction of new devices with improved features.
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