Three Exciting Changes in Hearing Aid Technology

As technology gets smaller and more complex, improvements are made at an accelerating rate. While there may have been only so much improvement in technology, for example, for the time period between 1,000 A.D. and 1900 A.D., the last hundred years or so have seen an extraordinary leap in advancement. This acceleration process itself is getting faster, meaning that we see near-doubling in advancement on a very regular basis. This speed of progress has been remarkable to watch in every field of science, but it has been particularly exciting in medicine. One area of medicine—that of finding ways to help those with auditory impairment—has been as exciting to watch as any other. Here are some interesting and exciting improvements in the old standby, the hearing aid.

Customization

It wasn't long ago that a hearing aid came with exactly one level of customization: you could turn the volume up and down. Today's devices are far more advanced than that. Users can take advantage of digital technology that allows them to program their devices, giving them a wide range of improvements and customization options. With some of the higher end models, you can literally program a different setting for any number of listening situations, each of which may require something unique. If you don't want the same settings for quiet conversation as you do in a movie theater, for instance, you can program two different settings and put them into action with the push of a button.

Data Storage

If you don't like the idea of trying to figure out the perfect setting for every listening situation, you may be interested in a hearing aid that does the work for you. Some come with presets for various circumstances, although not everyone will find the out-of-the-box settings perfect for their use. A better solution has been found by some manufacturers, who have given their devices the ability to remember settings based on what the user inputs for various situations. If you are often turning down the volume for a restaurant setting, for instance, the device will remember this data and allow you to retrieve it later instead of fiddling with the levels again and again.

Quality Jump

Anyone who has watched a Blu-Ray disc in the last few years may scarcely remember what it was like to watch VHS tapes, even though it wasn't that long ago that they were the primary option for home video. A similar leap in advancement has taken place on the auditory spectrum, and this crystal clear sound is implemented in today's hearing aid.