Ear
Courtesy Wikimedia CommonsA new hearing aid from a Newark, California company is garnering high praise from users who have tried it.

The device called the Lyric seems to overcome most of the negative aspects that have burdened hearing aid wearers until now, such as discomfort, over-amplification or piercing feedback.

Workings of the human ear
Courtesy Wikimedia CommonsInSound Medical, the company producing the innovative device, has made it so it can be placed easily within four millimeters (less than 1/6th of an inch) of the eardrum. This means amplification can be kept to a minimum, creating a more natural sound for the user. For some hearing loss sufferers it could also mean elimination of the need for surgical implants inside the middle ear.

Sponge surrounds the Lyric so moisture can easily escape from the ear canal and not interfere with workings of the hearing aid. When necessary a small magnet is used to remove the device, as well as switch it on or off and control its volume. Battery-life estimates range between 1 to 4 months (pretty wide range if you ask me) and the unit is kept in place around the clock.

But when the batteries do wear out, the entire device is replaced for yearly subscription fee between $2900 and $3600. This seems a bit steep to me but evidently it’s a competitive price in the expensive world of hearing aids, where little of the costs involved is covered by insurance.

At the moment, however, the Lyric only works with about 50 percent of hearing-loss patients due to the narrowness of some folks’ ear canals. But the company says a new model being developed should raise the figure to about 85 percent.

Personally, I have not used the Lyric or any other hearing aid, so I really can’t say how good it actually is, but overall I think this kind of advancement in the technology is always good news to hear.

SOURCE

NY Times article

Tags : hearing loss, hearing aid, hearing, health, ear, deafness

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