This blog continues our series on us covering the different types of hearing aids. We’ve covered many of the popular options, including some such as ‘Invisible in the Ear Canal’ (IIC), ‘Completely in the Canal’ (CIC), and ‘In the Canal’ (ITC) hearing aids. Within this article, we reference these hearing aids and compare them against one another. If you haven’t already, we recommend you read through our blogs on these before continuing this one.
We will be covering ‘Receiver in the Canal’ (RIC) hearing aids in this article and will be putting it up against some other popular choices.
RIC hearing aids sit behind the ear, with the receiver being located inside the ear canal. This is ideal positioning as sounds can travel directly into the ear via an invisible electrical receiver wire.
What’s great about RIC hearing aids is that they can house two different types of batteries. These are available in a size 10 (4-7 day) battery life, size 312 (7-10 day) battery life, with some RIC hearing aids available in a rechargeable option. They are also available at any technology level.
There are some clear advantages to choosing a RIC aid, one of these being that different power receivers can be fitted depending on the severity of hearing loss. This can make the hearing aid future-proof, as the power levels can be changed if the user’s hearing deteriorates. A more natural rich sound quality is also made available from these aids, as they do not completely occlude the ear canal. The different domes available can make the hearing aid fit severe or profound losses and any size ear canal.
These hearing aids can be connected to your smartphone, so you can have full control over them in any environment. Furthermore, the aids are very light in weight making the user feel very comfortable. And to top it all off, the increased microphones make listening to speech in the background is easier, which is fantastic for when the user is in public places.
RIC hearing aids may sound like a fantastic choice, although there is a catch to them. Poor dexterity or visual problems can make the insertion and removal of the aid difficult. The aid will also require regular cleaning, as any blockage in the microphone port or receiver could potentially block sounds coming out of the aid. On top of this, when using a landline phone with this aid, the telephone receiver has to be held in an unnatural position. This is not ideal for those who use telephones frequently within their daily lives of jobs.
Does a Receiver in the Canal hearing aid sound like a practical option for you? At Otec Hearing, we select and recommend hearing aids based on your requirements. Give us a call to book your free hearing test on 01522 305400.
