Hearing Aid Fitting technology has improved over time and less effort is needed to ensure acceptance of the new sounds. Computer controlled systems and software help to ensure that the hearing aid settings are able to meet the patient’s hearing loss to minimize the impairment caused by the hearing loss.
Nevertheless, we come in different shapes and sizes and so does the size of our ear canals. Studies have shown that the variation between ear canal sizes can affect the level of sound that we actually hear. Just as a person speaking in a small room sounds louder than the same person speaking in a large hall, the same happens with hearing aids. Thus individual variation of ear canal volume is taken into consideration in the hearing aid fitting.
While the software may suggest that the output level of the hearing aid is 60 dB SPL, the actual level of sound within the ear canal may vary between 50 dB SPL to 80 dB SPL influenced by the volume differences between individuals. Thus it is vital to use hearing aid verification systems in a hearing aid fitting to ensure the correct level of sound is presented to the user especially in children where their ear canal volume is very small.
With hearing aid verification systems like the AudioScan AXIOM and Madsen AURICAL, audiologist would be able to identify which frequencies are sufficient and which are not so as to better program the hearing aids. Relying on estimated results will not be accurate due to the variation between individuals. That’s why at Jensen Hearing, we use real ear measurement systems to fit and verify hearing aid fittings.
