Not everyone who loses their hearing loses it in the same way. Thus, if you have had problems with your hearing, you should not expect to go into an audiologist just to be fitted with a generic type of hearing aid. Instead, your doctor will run various tests to determine your specific needs. The doctor can then order a hearing aid that will give you the best hearing. You must also be forthcoming with your doctor about what types of environments you will be in, as this can also affect the design of your hearing aid. Knowing some of the technology involved in hearing aids will help you to navigate the fitting process. 

Directional Microphone

Carrying on a conversation in a crowded area can be difficult even if you have perfect hearing. If you have hearing loss, picking your conversant's voice out of a crowd can be nearly impossible. This is where a directional microphone can help. Such a device will amplify the sounds coming from directly in front of you much more than other sounds. 

Direct Audio Input

If you work with computers a lot or simply enjoy watching TV, you can buy hearing aids that will accept a direct feed from the TV. This means that you won't have to worry about turning your TV up to full volume, nor do you have to try to pick out the TV audio from any surrounding noise in your house. Instead, your hearing aids can receive the signal from the TV and broadcast it directly to your ears. 

T-Coil Setting

Microphones may help in various environments, but they do not work that well with a telephone. Wired telephones will have a hearing aid compatibility mode, and turning your hearing aids to the T-coil setting will allow your hearing aids to cancel out background noise and focus entirely on the sound coming from the telephone. 

Digital Hearing Aids

While analog hearing aids will simply amplify sound, digital hearing aids will have a microchip that allows them to enhance and edit sound, which will help them to reduce feedback and cancel out background noise. Digital hearing aids should also come with different programs that will allow you to adapt their performance to the different environments that you are in. 

As you can see, there is much more to hearing aids than simply magnifying sound. In order to get a hearing aid that will perform for you as you need it to, you need to talk to your doctor about your hearing needs. This will help the doctor to design a device that will enhance your hearing. 

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