Will The Size Of A Hearing Aid Make A Difference?
I have found in helping people with hearing aids that the size of a hearing aid does make a difference. The reason it makes a difference for most patients is because of cosmetics and how comfortable they will feel wearing their hearing aids. I tell people to get the hearing aid they will feel like wearing all the time. The bottom line always is — in my opinion — “don’t get a hearing aid you don’t feel comfortable wearing because you probably won’t wear it most of the time”.
Exceptions to this, of course, would be if the patient’s hearing loss would require a larger sized instrument. What is so wonderful about the technology we have available is that we now can put an extremely high amount of gain or power even in a tiny canal hearing aid or a very small behind-the-ear instrument.
If a hearing aid, regardless of appearance, works and helps you hear better, then one has to make a decision for the reasons you would or would not wear a hearing aid. Clearly not being able to hear well is much more noticeable than wearing any device that could help you hear better.
Coming back to the question: Could the size of a hearing aid make a difference? The answer is: Yes, if the patient’s hearing requirements so deem. The good news today is that for the vast majority of patients it doesn’t have to make a difference. In fact, most hearing aid performance doesn’t depend on size at all.
