Were you aware that it’s estimated that approximately 7.1% of people over 45 years old use a hearing aid? Additionally, it is believed that around 28.8 million American adults could benefit from using hearing aids, and more than 90% of deaf children have been proven to be born to hearing parents. If you have discovered you need to use hearing aids or have already been using them, you might be considering alternative options like invisible hearing aids.
In recent years invisible hearing aids have become a popular choice because traditional hearing aids are often uncomfortable, ugly, and difficult to wear. If you’re looking for a better hearing aid solution or want people to know that you’re hearing-impaired, you might want to consider invisible hearing aids.
In our article, we’re going to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this type of hearing aid so that you can determine if it’s the right hearing solution for you. If you find that it is, you can speak with the experts at Coastal Hearing Care, who can help you with your hearing journey.
What Are Invisible Hearing Aids?
Before we look at the benefits and drawbacks of invisible hearing aids, we want to ensure you know what this type of hearing aid is. Simply put, invisible hearing aids are aids that you can place inside your ear to be nearly invisible to the naked eye.
These devices have all the advanced technologies needed to help you hear, miniaturized and compacted into a small device that fits in your ear snugly. Additionally, most invisible hearing aids are custom-fitted to your ear canal without external wiring and tubes.
What Are The Key Benefits Of Invisible Hearing Aids?
Below we have briefly discussed the top three benefits of using invisible hearing aids to help you better understand if this type of hearing aid is suitable for you.
- They Sound Natural
It might not seem believable, but according to many patients, invisible hearing aids sound more natural or more like ‘real hearing’ than other hearing aids. This is likely because invisible hearing aids sit a few millimeters from the tympanic membrane.
This means that because the sound travels through an ear canal to reach an invisible hearing aid instead of transmitting sound through a tube, people can hear things more naturally.
- They Are Aesthetically Pleasing
It’s no secret that there are hearing aids that aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing. If you have to use hearing aids and don’t want people to realize you use them, or if you want a set that looks more attractive, you might want to consider invisible hearing aids.
Since this type of aid sits snugly in the ear and features no tubes, wiring, or other eyesore components, they are far more aesthetically pleasing. If you choose this type of hearing aid, it’s possible that no one will notice you’re wearing them, or many will believe you are using headphones.
- They Are Comfortable
Perhaps the most significant positive associated with using invisible hearing aids is that they are comfortable. For many people, traditional hearing aids make day-to-day tasks challenging. For example, those who don’t use invisible hearing aids struggle with wearing a hat or talking on the phone.
With invisible hearing aids, you won’t need to struggle with these and other tasks, and you will likely enjoy how comfortable these small inner ear aids are.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Invisible Hearing Aids?
As we did above, we will discuss the three top drawbacks to using an invisible hearing aid. Hopefully, when armed with this information alongside the benefits it will help you make a final decision.
- Not Entirely Suitable For Severe Hearing Loss
Unfortunately, despite how far hearing aid technology has come, it still hasn’t quite achieved the goal where it is beneficial for all hearing loss levels. Although invisible hearing aids are excellent for their size, they still are not as powerful as full-sized high-end devices.
Essentially, this means that if you’re struggling with severe or profound hearing loss or impairment, it’s likely that an invisible hearing aid won’t sufficiently meet your hearing needs. In most cases, an invisible hearing aid is best suited to those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
- They Are Expensive
One of the biggest drawbacks to invisible hearing aids is that they can be costly. If you want to buy invisible hearing aids that have the same functionality as traditional aids, you will need to expect to pay a pretty penny.
This is because miniaturization is far more expensive. It costs a significant amount to make sure highly sensitive, fine-tuned electronics fit inside a compact invisible aid.
- Their Size Presents A Problem
Although many people like invisible hearing aids because of their size, some find their small nature to be an obvious drawback. For example, their small size means that they often lack features that many find helpful, like on-device controls to operate the hearing aid, like lacking binaural coordination, Bluetooth connectivity, and long battery life.
Additionally, the small size of invisible hearing aids is a big drawback for those who suffer from dexterity issues. Moreover, their size is also an issue for some because they are too small to fit in certain people’s ears.
As evidenced, invisible hearing aids have notable benefits, but they are not without their disadvantages. Ultimately, whether to use invisible hearing aids will be up to you and the guidance of your hearing care specialist.
If you would like help determining if invisible hearing aids will work with your level of impairment or would like to learn how much they cost and the features they possess, you can speak with us at Coastal Hearing Care. You can contact us at 941-229-2122, and we will be happy to answer your questions or arrange a consultation.