CIC vs BTE
CIC- completely in canal or BTE- behind the ear, provides excellent performance and are most popular hearing aid styles being sold today. So, which type will you choose? Here, we are going to discuss these.
Hearing aids are those electronic devices that amplify sound and make sounds audible for people with hearing loss, possibly due to ageing, heredity or any disease.
CIC Hearing Aids:
These fit inside your canal and are challenging to see. This is because the CICs are smaller, fit perfectly into your ear canal, and is almost hidden. They are only visible to the person that is closely in contact. Otherwise, a casual observer wouldn’t be able to see that.
They are the most preferred hearing aids because of their sound quality and comfort. Most hearing healthcare professionals suggest these.
BTE Hearing Aids
These type of hearing aids fits outside your ear. These are comfortable as they are not held deep inside your ear canal. It has an earmold that deals with the transmission of sound.
Difference between BTE and CIC Hearing Aids
Let’s compare these two families of hearing devices- BTE and CIC on certain levels.
Hearing Ability
If you have a problem hearing both low and high sounds then a completely-in-canal device will help process sound and is suitable for you.
If you have a problem only with high frequencies, then the BTE style is the best fit because it amplifies high sounds and lets in naturally the low sounds.
Dexterity Issues
Do you have problems with dexterity? As compared to BTE, CIC hearing aids are smaller and suitable for people with mild or average hearing problems. Due to their smaller size, they are ideal for people with dexterity and vision issues and are easy to use and insert into the canal.
Perfromance
The auricle plays a fundamental role in hearing. CIC takes advantage of this natural property. It takes multidirectional sound through a two- or even three-dimensional input. BTE hearing aids are located behind the ear, which limits their performance. It does not pick up sound from an anterior source.
Solidity
The completely in canal hearing aids are compact. They are easy to insert and remove. On the other hand, BTE hearing aids are bigger however there are cases where the ear mold is forgotten in the ear and the person may need to seek help from an ENT.