There are more than 10 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss, or one in six of the population. Only about two million people in the UK have hearing aids, but of those only 1.4 million use them regularly. This means there are at least four million people who don't have
hearing aids and would benefit from using them. This handy infographic gives you a quick breakdown of the different types of hearing aids.
Types of Hearing Aids
Hearing Aids come in a wide range of styles, shapes and sizes, but regardless of their design all hearing aids require the same basic assembly of components:
- microphones
- chips
- receivers
- battery to supply power
There are six main types of hearing aids:
- Behind-the-ear hearing aids a.k.a. BTE or OTE (on-the-ear)
- Receiver-in-the-canal hearing aids a.k.a. RIC or RIE (Receiver-in-the-ear)
- In-the-canal hearing aids ITC (in-the-canal) or ITE (in-the-ear)
- Spectacle worn hearing aids
- Body worn hearing aids
- Completely-in-the-canal hearing aids a.k.a. CICs
Which Hearing Aid type for you?
| Type of Hearing Aid |
Points For |
Points Against |
| Behind-the-ear |
Discreet design, comfortable, instant fitting |
Some are not suitable for severe hearing loss |
| Receiver-in-the-canal |
Small design, choice of amplification, low feedback |
Risk of wax build up, high cost of receiver replacement |
| In-the-canal |
Easy to insert and remove, good with glasses |
High Maintenance |
| Completely-in the-canal |
Small size, almost invisible |
Low battery life, limited amplification level |
| Body Worn |
long battery life, low cost, powerful amplification |
size visibility |
| Spectacle Worn |
recommended for conductive hearing loss, discreet with glasses |
tricky to fit, cannot be used without glasses |
About Hearing Direct
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