OPEN FIT HEARING AIDS

The latest innovation in hearing aid fitting uses small BTE style hearing aids connected to very thin tubes and non-custom soft plastic tips which are placed into the ear canal.  This configuration is termed open fit and was developed by Resound in about 2003.  Open fits greatly reduce the occluded or plugged up feeling some people experience with hearing aids and have the advantage of excellent cosmetics.  This style was originally designed for people with normal hearing in the low frequencies and a significant loss in the high pitches but with modifications, the fitting range has been expanded to include most mild loss and a few types of loss which reach into the moderate to severe ranges.  The industry has been very active in producing variations of this type of product and at least one or two styles are offered by each major company. 

 

OPEN ACOUSTIC

The open acoustic employs a very small BTE and delivers sound through a thin tube.  The BTE hearing aids in this category can only be used with the thin tubing and the products work best for people with normal or near normal hearing in the low frequencies.  Examples include the rechargeable Resound Pulse and the Phonak eXtra 100.  

OPEN ACOUSTIC – STANDARD BTE

Most companies are able to modify at least some of their standard BTE products for use with either the thin tube or a standard earmold with larger tubing.  The advantages of this system include greater product flexibility and fitting range. The coupling to the ear may also be changed at a later date if hearing loss progresses and more power is required.  Several manufacturers offer this option in more than one BTE model. 

 

RITE – (Receiver In The Ear)

RITE is the acronym for systems which remove the speaker of the hearing aid from the BTE unit and place it into the ear canal.  It is held in the canal by the same type of soft tip used in the open acoustic systems or by a small custom mold.  The thin tube between the aid and receiver looks identical to that used in the acoustic system but in RITE the interior of the tube holds the wire connecting the two parts of the hearing aid.  This style can fit greater hearing losses than can be accomodated with the open acoustic configuration.  Examples include the Oticon Delta and the Unitron Moxie.