ITC is an acronym for In-the-canal, which describes a range of hearing aids that fit nicely into the cavum concha part of your outer ear. These hearing aids use a size 312 battery, which can last up to 7 days, depending on the length of time worn every day – speak to your audiologist for more details on the technical aspects of ITC hearing aids. In this guide, we’re going to explore some of the key benefits of using this style of aid to help hearing loss, so let’s get started right away.

Extremely powerful

First of all, ITC hearing aids might look small, but they actually contain a lot of power – far more so than you might think. This is a good piece of news for people with medium-to-severe hearing loss, who often require that extra power to hear more frequencies.

Adaptable

ITC hearing aids come in a couple of varieties – wireless and telecoil. It means that ITC aids can be used for all kinds of people with varying needs. ITC hearing aids are, essentially, good for almost every type of basic use.

Easy to use

Because of their size, ITC hearing aids are highly suitable for people with limited dexterity. But not only that, they can also help people with limited vision – they are much harder to lose than other types of hearing aid, such as the invisible in canal range.

Big surface area

ITC hearing aids are relatively chunky in comparison to other, smaller aids. And this means they enjoy a couple of other important benefits. Firstly, the large surface area means that feedback, whistles, and other noise artifacts are less likely to bother you – there is less acoustic leakage if you like. Secondly, they fit snugly into your ear, so it is much harder to dislodge them – especially if your ear canal is straight and inclined. With other hearing aid types, this can be a major issue, even from something as simple as chewing your food.

Great for speech recognition

Most ITC hearing aids have dual microphones, ensuring an excellent clarity of audio. Your audiologist may recommend the ITC style if you are struggling to understand speech when in noisy environments.

While ITC hearing aids are a fantastic option for many different people with hearing loss, they certainly aren’t for everyone. Unfortunately, they aren’t as discreet as invisible in canal alternatives or completely in canal hearing aids. There is also a slight loss of acoustics involved – your external ear can sometimes struggle to localize the directions of the sounds that you hear. And finally, over time the cartilage in your ear canal can change shape and size on a reasonably regular basis. And if this happens over time, the reality is that your current device may not fit as well as it used to – and you will need to buy a new one.

That said, there are plenty of reasons why you should discuss ITC hearing aids with your audiologist. They are super easy to use, and difficult to lose, making them a sensible choice for everyone from hearing aid beginners to older wearers.