3 Signs You Need to Update Your Hearing Aids

Hearing aids are fragile devices that can quickly break or malfunction if they are not well maintained. We have listed in this article the most frequent causes of problems in hearing aids, so that you can identify them early on and have them assessed so that you can update your hearing aid as needed. 

1. Earpiece obstruction or loose wires

Among the most common causes of failure are the obstruction of the earpiece due to a significant presence of earwax. This problem is easily solved by cleaning (using a brush) the outlet of the earpiece and / or by changing the wax filter.  You will find this is common with ITE, BTE, ITC hearing aids most often. As a reminder, you must clean your hearing aids regularly and change your wax filters to avoid this problem.

How to detect the failure:  The sound is of lower quality or not loud enough. There is earwax accumulating on the outlet of the earpiece. Overtime, wear and tear will lead to your hearing aid becoming less effective and an upgrade could be in order. The wire connecting the earpiece to the devices may become detached during handling, preventing sound from reaching the ear. How to detect the fault: The wire connecting the earpiece to the device is not properly clipped. The sound seems less loud / dissonant, or does not come through at all. In this case you may want to look at a bluetooth upgrade which will eliminate these issues. 

2. Battery faulty or worn out

A drop in volume or device stoppages may be caused by defective or worn batteries. You should always test your hearing batteries by replacing them when they break down, in order to check their correct functioning and thus rule out this possibility. In spite of the technical progress making it possible to make the cases more resistant, the failures related to the damage of the electronic circuits due to the exposure to humidity are numerous. Going to the beach often, humid living conditions, all these contribute to issues with the battery. If it continues, you should consider an upgrade in order to combat this issue. A new battery is often the most convenient option. 

3. Amplifier or microphone malfunction

How to spot the problem? The device is consuming batteries at a much higher frequency than normal.  The malfunction of a microphone has an impact on directivity and consequently on your comprehension abilities, especially in noisy surroundings. It is difficult for a patient to detect a microphone failure. To do this, the hearing care professional must perform tests during a laboratory visit. Sometimes the microphones can be damaged without the patient even realizing it. The most classic sign is the presence of continuous background noise even in calm. Therefore it may be best to look at an upgrade.