With so many types of hearing aids out there, it can be difficult to make a choice on one that will suit your requirements and lifestyle, should you need one. In this blog, we are going to be covering the ‘Completely in the Canal Hearing Aid’ (CIC) hearing aid and go through both its positives and negatives.
In our last blog, we wrote about the ‘Invisible in the canal’ (IIC) hearing aid. We do reference this type of hearing aid in this blog, so we recommend giving that one a read for more information on that type of aid.
CIC hearing aids are the next size up from the IIC aids, although like the IIC hearing aids, CIC aids still require the Hearing Aid Dispenser to take ear impressions, so they fit into your ear canal. The main difference between the two styles is that the faceplate and battery draw is more exposed to the CIC which makes them almost invisible, in comparison to the IIC, which is completely hidden.
The major advantages to using this particular hearing aid are that it’s available in several power options unlike the IIC, which is only available in one, this means that the CIC is suitable for those who may have severe hearing losses. Also, despite it not being as hidden as the IIC, the CIC is almost completely invisible, which is extremely good for those who don’t want their hearing aids to be seen by others. Like the IIC, the CIC’s microphone position makes it an extremely practical option for tasks like answering the telephone.
However, there are also some disadvantages to this particular type of hearing aid, and a number of its faults are similar to the IIC aid. To start, CIC aids are also not the greatest in situations with lots of background noise, which isn’t ideal when in public places. They also share the issue of being more susceptible to failure due to moisture and wax in the ear canal, which can block the microphones within the aid. The hearing aid may also need to be re-shelled in the future if the size of the ear canal changes. The CIC also shares a similar battery life to the IIC, which is around 3-5 days as a result of their size. The size also means that a CIC may not be suitable for those with manual dexterity issues.
At Otec Hearing, we will recommend to you the hearing aid that suits your requirements best. If you have any questions about Completely in the Canal hearing aids, or any other form of aids, feel free to contact us! You can do so by emailing us or giving us a call on 01522 305400.