digital hearing aid
A hearing aid that processes sound in digital form. Digital techniques have been used with hearing aids starting in the early 1990s when digitally programmable devices were the first to provide the equivalent of an audio equalizer in the ear, enabling only required frequencies to be amplified, rather than all of them. In addition, loud noises could also be suppressed. By the mid-1990s, "100% digital" hearing aids were introduced, whereby digital processing converted the sound itself from analog to digital, processed it in digital form and converted it back into analog for the eardrum. Digital processing means faster response times and more accurate sound filtering. Digital hearing aids are programmed in real time by the hearing aid practitioner who is obtaining immediate feedback from the patient while the unit is in the ear.
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| These hearing aids from Authorized Hearing Systems, Inc., Bristol, PA, are 100% digital and are of the "completely-in-the-canal" (CIC) variety. They can amplify any or all of seven different frequency ranges, depending on the individual's hearing loss. The silver battery is shown (bottom center), and the clear plastic prongs are for removing the unit. In 2001, AHS was acquired by Interton of Cologne, Germany. |
