How to find the best hearing aid for you

Selecting your first hearing aid is a significant step, and finding the right device can make a remarkable difference to your daily life.

With so many options available, the variety can quickly feel daunting. To help simplify the process, we spoke with experts about what different hearing aid styles are currently on the market, and what key factors you should consider before making your choice.

What are the main styles of hearing aid to choose from?

Behind-the-ear hearing aids

“Behind-the-ear options have a unit that sits behind the ear and either a wire or a tube then goes to a modular fitting ear piece that fits in the ear,” explains Dominique Stone, lead audiologist and clinical governance lead at The Hearing Clinic UK.

Receiver in-the-ear hearings aids

“Receiver-in-the-ear devices have the behind-the-ear unit and a wire that then goes down to the ear and has a speaker that actually fits inside the ear canal. In most instances, that’s coupled with a modular ear piece or a dome, or you could have a custom fit made for it,” notes Stone.

In-the-ear hearing aids

“You can get a custom in-the-ear solution where you have an impression taken of the ear, then a moulding is made, so the hearing aid is built to fit your ear and all electronics are built into that molding,” says Stone.

“We do also now have ready-to-wear instant fit in-the-ear devices which are quite a recent development and have become quite popular.”

Specialist options

More specialist options are also available.

“Phonak, for example, is one of the manufacturers that offers the lyric devices, which are implanted or placed deep into the ear canal and sits about three millimetres away from the eardrum,” says Stone. “That’s what we would classify as a completely invisible device, and can only be done by specialist clinics.”

What factors do you need to consider when choosing a hearing aid?

Severity of hearing loss

“Some devices are more suitable for mild to moderate losses, and other hearing aids will be more suitable for severe to profound losses,” says Stone. “That’s why it’s really important to go through a comprehensive consultation which will generate your prescription.”

Manual dexterity

“Dexterity is something particularly older patients need to consider, because hearing aids are only a beneficial, usable tool to help improve communication if they can actually be used comfortably,” says Stone.

“So, it’s important that we make sure that our patients are empowered, can handle and manage their devices, and have access to ongoing long-term support.”

Lifestyle needs

“Hearing aids are not only there to address a medical condition (hearing loss), these devices are also there to address lifestyle needs and overcome barriers,” says Stone.

“For example, we will ask patients if they live by themselves, if they live with family, if they are still working or are retired, and how they cope with background noise and one-to-one conversations. It’s all about identifying those specific needs to help decide what solution would be suitable for them.”

Charlotte Jones, head of hearing products at Specsavers, agrees and adds: “That’s why speaking to an audiologist or a hearing expert is really helpful, because they work holistically to get to know a person and understand their lifestyle and preferences.”

Jones highlights the importance of thinking about how you spend your time and what’s most important to you.

“Think about the situations where without devices, you struggle the most to hear,” says Jones. “For example, if you have got family who visit once a week, you might want a device that’s going to support you to hear as clearly as possible in that situation.”

Comfort

“A device that’s uncomfortable could potentially also cause problems and increase the risk of developing infections,” says Stone. “If someone finds hearing aids too uncomfortable, they tend to stop wearing the device and don’t get all the benefits from it.”

Comfort often comes after a period of acclimatisation.

“When you first get a hearing aid fitted and get that full amplification, it can be a bit overwhelming, therefore it’s really important that you give yourself time to introduce it in a gradual way,” says Stone.

Budget 

“In the private market, prices tend to start from about £500 and can go up to about £6,500-£7,000 for a set of devices, so there’s a huge range,” says Stone.

“Top-tier devices offer more features and more advanced technology which tend to have a more advanced processing ability and provide a much more natural sound.”

However, Jones highlights that places such as Specsavers do offer free NHS-funded hearing aids for eligible patients.

Technology and features

“One of the big things available at the moment in the hearing aid technology world are AI devices,” says Stone. “The AI technology helps give users a much better response when they are in high noise environment, like a pub, for example.”

Another feature to consider is connectivity.

“The majority of hearing devices now have Bluetooth, which means that you can connect your hearing aids to a mobile phone, and then they work a little bit like wireless headphones, so you can stream calls, music and any other sound from your phone or device into your hearing aids directly,” says Jones.

“You can also get apps on your phone where you can adjust things like volume when you are in different environments. This provides people with a little bit more control over what their hearing aids are doing.”