Types of Hearing Aids


RIC                 Receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids are small devices that sit over the ear with the speaker inside of the ear canal. RIC hearing aids are commonly prescribed because they sound natural, work well with high-pitched hearing loss, and are cosmetically appealing. 

BTE 

    Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are devices that sit over the ear and deliver sound through an attached custom earmold. BTE hearing aids are often prescribed for children because the earmold can be changed as the child grows. BTE hearing aids are also very powerful and may be used with adults who have severe to profound hearing loss. 

IIC 

    Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids are small custom devices that sit deep inside of the ear canal. Although not actually invisible, they are cosmetically appealing. IIC hearing aids may have limited features and limited sound quality given the small size. 

CIC 

    Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids are small custom devices that sit inside of the ear canal. Although still small, they generally can accommodate more features than IIC hearing aids. 

ITC 

    In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids are custom devices that fill half of the bowl of the ear. Sometimes called a half-shell hearing aid, they are a good compromise between power and technology. 

ITE 

    In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids are custom devices that fill the full bowl of the ear. ITE hearing aids are sometimes called full-shell hearing aids. The larger size allows for more powerful amplification. 

Photos courtesy of www.phonakpro.com.